f LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 5 
|ijniteF^tates^of AMKKICA.J 



•.)• 



YITAL GODLINESS: 



A TREATISE 



ON 



EXPEEIMENTAL 



AlO) 



PRACTICAL PIETY. 



V 

BY WILLIAM S. PLUMER, D. D., LL. D. 

'I 



yi> 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

AMEBICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

150 NASSAU-STEEET, NEW YORK. 



i 



7 






Enteeed accorcling to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by 
the Amekican Teact Society, in the Clerk's Office of the District 
Court of the Southern District of the State of New York. 



IF THIS BOOK SHAJLL AID ANT OKE 

m MAKING 

HIS CALLING AND ELECTION SUEE, 

TO 

THE EYER BLESSED NAME 

OF 

©fie i^tlxtx, tft^ 3m, mxiX t\u §0% (5U^t, 

BE GLORY IN THE HIGHEST, 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 
General remarks on religious experience . 7 

CHAPTER n. 
Earlyreligions impressions 21 

CHAPTER III. 

Early religious impressions, continued — Eeligious inquiry — 34 

CHAPTER IV. 
Further stri-vings of the Spirit--' 46 

CHAPTER Y. 
A sense of wretcliedness - 64 

CHAPTER VI. 
Conviction — Conversion 82 

CHAPTER Vn. 
Cases of religious distress 106 

CHAPTER Vni. 
Spiritual darkness - - - 127 

CHAPTER IX. 
Backsliding - 148 

CHAPTER X. 
Faith - 173 

CHAPTER XI. 
Repentance 210 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER Xn. 
Humility - 249 

CHAPTER Xni. 
The fear of God - 287 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Hope 307 

CHAPTER XV. 
Love to God 327 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Love to Christ 347 

CHAPTER XVn. 
Love to our neighbor - - -- 369 

CHAPTER XVm. 
Love to the brethren - - - -- 393 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Peace 411 

CHAPTER XX. 
Courage 431 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Contentment - -- 454 

CHAPTER XXn. 
Patience •• 482 

CHAPTER XXm. 
Joy - 514 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Zeal 551 

CHAPTER XXV. 
Concluding observations ■-» - 575 

Full alphabetical index 605 



VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER I. 

GENERAL REMARKS ON RELIGIOUS EXPERI- 
ENCE. 

The test of real character is to be souglit 
in each man's experience. He who has never 
exercised faith, repentance, love, humility, 
hope, and joy, cannot be profited by his theo- 
ries and speculations on these subjects. All 
knowledge which is unfelt and inoperative 
puffs up the mind and hardens the heart. It 
is better to have the workings of gracious 
affections than to be able to define them, or to 
speak ever so learnedly respecting them. The 
great use of a large part of divine truth is 
rightly to affect our minds and hearts, and so 
to control our practice. 

It is often doubted whether the present age 
is remarkable for depth of religious feeling. In 
many cases ministers preach a low experience. 



8 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The consequence is painful laxity in religious 
practice. Among many professors there is a 
manifest disinclination to converse on vital 
subjects in religion. This is a great evil. Al- 
though hypocrites may babble on such topics, 
yet true Christians should not thereby be de- 
terred from telling what Grod has done for 
their souls, or from diligently seeking to dis- 
cover and commend the highest style of holy 
living. Perhaps on all branches of these sub- 
jects there is less preaching than formerly. A 
minister of this generation said that he had 
received many hundreds of printed sermons 
sent out by his brethren, and that among them 
all he remembered but one on the subject of 
experimental religion. Yet it is noticeable 
that when a preacher of ability and sound dis- 
crimination discusses any branch of this sub- 
ject, he is always highly acceptable to the best 
class of professors. 

The testimonies to the necessity of experi- 
mental piety are exceedingly numerous. Al- 
most every fit form of expression is employed 
by inspired writers to teach us this great truth. 
Thus says David, "0 taste and see that the 
Lord is good ; blessed is the man that trusteth 
in him." Psa. 34:8. "Come and hear, all 



EELIGIOUS EXPEKIENCE. 9 

ye that fear Grod, and I will declare what he 
hath done for my soul," Psa. 66 : 16. So 
Elihu said, "Suffer me a little, and I will show 
thee that I have yet to speak on Grod's behalf." 
Job 36:2. Often in the Scriptures religious 
experience is expressed by hungering and 
thirsting, by eating and drinking. Isa. 55 : 1 ; 
Matt. 5:6; Song 5:1; John 6 : 53-58. Job, 
David, and Isaiah all inform us of the power 
of religious experience in their own case. Job 
42 : 5, 6 ; Psa. 51 ; Isa. 6 : 5. 

Nor is the testimony of uninspired men on 
this point less harmonious. Eichard Baxter 
says, ''The way to have the firmest belief of 
the Christian faith is to draw near and taste 
and try it, and lay bare the heart to receive 
the impression of it ; and then, by the sense of 
its admirable effects, we shall know that which 
bare speculation could not discover. Though 
there must be a belief on other grounds first, 
so much as to let in the word into the soul, 
and to cause us to submit our hearts to its op- 
erations, yet it is this experience that must 
strengthen it and confirm it. If any man will 
do the will of Christ, he shall know that the 
doctrine is of God. John 7 : 17. The melody 
of music is better known by hearing it than 

1* 



10 VITAL GODLINESS. 

by reports of it, and tlie sweetness of meat is 
known better by tasting than by hearsay, 
though upon report we may be drawn to taste 
and try. So is there a spiritual sense in us of 
the effects of the gospel on our own hearts, 
which will cause men to love it and hold it fast 
against the cavils of deceivers or the tempta- 
tions of the great deceiver." 

John Owen says, ''Experience is the food 
of all grace, which it grows and thrives upon. 
Every taste that faith obtains of divine love 
and grace, or how gracious the Lord is, adds 
to its measure and stature. Two things there- 
fore must briefly be declared: 1. That the ex- 
perience of the reality, excellency, power, and 
efficacy of the things that are believed, is an 
effectual means of increasing faith and love. 
2. That it is the Holy Ghost which gives us 
this experience." 

John Newton says, ''Experience is the 
Lord's school, and they who are taught by him 
usually learn by the mistakes they make that 
they have no wisdom, and by the slips and 
falls they meet with that they have no 
strength." 

Charles Buck says, "The report of the 
blessings of the religion of Christ, or the intel- 



EELIGIOUS EXPEBIENCE. 11 

ligence that provision is made for guilty man, 
can be of no avail without a real participation 
of them. We must not perceive only, but we 
must feel; and feeling, of course we experi- 
ence." 

President Edwards the elder says, ''A gra- 
cious experience arises from operations and 
influences which are spiritual, from an inward 
principle which is divine, a communication of 
God, a participation of the divine nature : 
Christ living in the heart, the Holy Spirit 
dwelling there in union with the faculties of 
the soul as an internal vital principle, exert- 
ing his own proper nature in the exercise of 
those faculties. Now it is no wonder that that 
which is divine is powerful and effectual, for it 
has omnipotence on its side." 

The late Dr. John M'Dowell says, ''If we 
be Christians, we shall delight to meet with 
our fellow- Christians, and engage with them in 
conversation on experimental piety. And true 
religion must either be very low or be entirely 
wanting in the heart of that person who sel- 
dom speaks on the subject, or extends not his 
conversation beyond the doctrines and forms 
of religion, or speaks in an uninterested or 
heartless manner. The Scripture saints, as 



12 VITAL GODLINESS. 

appears from their history, engaged much ia 
religions conversation.^' 

Yet it is to be regretted that bnt few mod- 
ern books treat of this subject. Doctrinal dis- 
cussions, treatises on the history of the Bible, 
on branches of Scripture morals, and on church' 
government, are numerous. But rarely do we 
find able men turning their attention to the 
work of God in the soul. It was not always 
so. In the seventeenth century the ablest 
productions of the greatest minds were on ex- 
perimental religion. The exceeding popular- 
ity of a few books, first published in our own 
age, shows that so far as there is piety, such 
reading is in great demand. This will be more 
and more so as true religion shall prevail. 

It is admitted that the subject of experi- 
mental religion is not free from difficulties. 
But most of these are theoretical, rather than 
practical. Yet those which grow out of the 
deceitfulness of sin and the temptations of the 
great adversary, should be carefully studied 
by all persons, by religious teachers in partic- 
ular, and the consolations of God sought out 
and administered accordingly. It is also wor- 
thy of notice that the best treatises in this de- 
partment of religious literature are often nar- 



EELIGIOUS EXPEBIENCE. 13 

ratives of the dealings of God with particular 
persons. Eeligious biography constitutes a 
very useful and popular part of a well-chosen 
library. If the time shall come when the me- 
moirs of Halyburton and Brainerd shall be 
unwelcome to the great body of God's people, 
then indeed the glory will have departed. 

John Newton remarks that " it is to be la- 
mented that in this enlightened age, so signal- 
ized by the prevalence of the spirit of investi- 
gation, religion should by many be thought the 
only subject unworthy of a serious inquiry; 
and that while in every branch of science they 
studiously endeavor to trace every fact to its 
proper and adequate cause, and are cautious 
of admitting any theory which cannot stand the 
test of experiment, they treat the use of the 
term ex^perimental, when applied to religion, 
with contempt." 

The tendency of this age is to become vague 
and superficial. In giving an account of the 
work of God on one or many, there is a prone- 
ness to deal in generals and avoid particulars. 
In some cases there may be reasons of deli- 
cacy for saying little; nor is it necessary to 
present individuals by name or description of 
person before the community. But how re- 



14: VITAL GODLINESS. 

freshing it would be to meet with a recent 
narrative like that which President Edwards 
has given of one who is now understood to 
have been the person who afterwards became 
his wife. In their narratives of revivals of 
religion, the old magazines often present quite 
a contrast to many of our modern journals. 
This deficiency has sometimes been noticed 
and a desire for a change expressed, but we 
seem to be getting further and further from 
the old paths. 

Yet let us not be discouraged. Let us la- 
bor to banish unreasonable prejudices against 
this subject as a proper topic of familiar or 
religious conversation. This will be no easy 
task. So many ignorant men have spoken 
things which they ought not, so many weak 
men have uttered folly, and so many bad men 
have obtruded their erroneous views upon the 
attention of others, that some haviB been quite 
disgusted with the whole matter. Thus it has 
come to pass that even in the free church of 
Scotland a candidate for the ministry is not 
examined as to his acquaintance with experi- 
mental religion or his motives for seeking the 
sacred office. But it is never safe to argue 
from the abuse of any thing against its use. 



BELiaiOUS EXPEEIENOE. 15 

Not only in preacMng, but in their private 
walks, pastors might exert a happy influence 
on this subject. Let them converse freely and 
fully with those seeking admission to the Lord's 
table. In their pastoral visits let not this sub- 
ject be forgotten. Sometimes it may be well 
to leave particular qfestions to be answered 
or talked over on a subsequent interview. It 
would also be well if all that class of able 
works which have handled the different 
branches of this subject were brought into 
general use in our churches. John Newton 
has long been a favorite. His writings on ex- 
perimental religion contributed much to the 
revival of piety in the latter part of the eigh- 
teenth and the early part of the nineteenth 
centuries. John Owen on Indwelling Sin is 
more profound than any thing Newton ever 
wrote. One of the best works on the whole 
subject is Guthrie's Trial of a Saving Interest 
in Christ. Dr. Archibald Alexander on Re- 
ligious Experience is admirably suited to awa- 
ken a fondness for this kind of reading. 

But more than any thing else, we always 
need in the church a copious outpouring of 
God's Spirit on the hearts of his people, giv- 
ing them a zest for spiritual things and a great 



16 VITAL GODLINESS. 

desire for a full assurance of understanding, of 
faith and of hope. Many real Christians have 
made but low attainments, and are too little 
dissatisfied with their present state. One who 
should speak and act with the zeal and ardor 
of Paul, of Knox, of Welsh, of Whitefield, or 
of Henry Martyn, wonM by the thoughtless 
world be esteemed mad. But wisdom is jus- 
tified of her children. The truly regenerate 
and growing Christian will not be offended at 
sound views on this subject. 

It may encourage us to study this subject, 
to remember that, though in unessential partic- 
ulars there is an endless diversity in the expe- 
rience of men, yet in all that necessarily be- 
longs to vital piety there is a substantial agree- 
ment. Perhaps a more striking contrast could 
hardly be found between two men, than between 
John Newton and Occum the Indian preacher. 
Yet Newton says of the latter, that ''in de- 
scribing to me the state of his heart, when he 
was a blind idolater, he gave me in general a 
striking picture of what my own was in the 
early part of my own life ; and his subsequent 
views of the gospel corresponded with mine as 
face answers to face in a glass. ^' 

John Owen also says, " As sin worketh in 



EELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 17 

one, so doth it in another ; as grace is efifectual 
in one, so is it in another ; as he that prayeth 
longeth for mercy and grace, so do they that 
join with him. Of the same kind with his ha- 
tred of sin, his love to Christ, his laboring after 
holiness and conformity to the will of God, are 
also those in other believers. And hence it is 
that persons 'praying in the Spirit' according 
to their own experience, are oftentimes sup- 
posed by every one in the congregation rather 
to pray over their condition than their own." 

Nor is there any way of preserving men 
from falling into error respecting the true na- 
ture of religion, but by bringing them to feel 
its power. ''The head maybe strengthened 
till the heart is starved." Indeed, infidelity 
itself will be sure to gain a footing in a com- 
munity where vital godliness is not experi- 
enced. John Owen truly says, "The own- 
ing of the Scripture to be the word of God 
bespeaks a divine majesty, authority, and 
power to be present in it and with it. Where- 
fore, after men who have for a long time so 
professed, do find that they never had any 
real experience of such a divine presence 
in it by any effects upon their own minds, 
they grow insensibly regardless of it, or to 



18 VITAL GODLINESS. 

allow it a very common place in their thoughts. 
When they have worn off the impressions that 
were on their minds from tradition, education, 
and custom, they do for the future rather not 
oppose it than in any way believe it. And 
when once a reverence unto the word of God 
on account of its authority is lost, an assent 
unto it on account of its truth will not long 
abide. And all such persons, under a concur- 
rence of temptations and outward occasions, 
will either reject it or prefer other guides be- 
fore it." 

There is not a doctrine of revelation the 
power of which ought not to be felt in the hu- 
man soul. If God is revealed to us in a trin- 
ity of persons, as the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost, it is that we may love and serve 
and worship him just as he is revealed. If 
Jesus Christ made a vicarious atonement, that 
great doctrine is revealed to us that we may 
rest the whole weight of our salvation upon it. 
If men are totally depraved, that truth ought 
to be known and felt, that the whole salvation 
of the gospel may be sought and secured. 
Nothing therefore can be more unphilosophi- 
cal than to charge that experimental religion 
and wild enthusiasm are synonymous terms. 



BELIGIOUS EXPEEIENCE. 19 

If men dead in sin are ever to be restored to 
spiritual life, they must be the subjects of a 
mighty work of grace ; they must be taught of 
Grod ; they must be born from above ; they 
must be called out of darkness into God's mar- 
vellous light ; they must be renewed in the 
inner man. 

The advantages of experience are felt in 
all the affairs of life. The truths we know by 
experience are worth more to a wise man than 
all he can learn from the demonstrative sci- 
ences or the reasonings of others. In all the 
departments of life, he who has experience has 
qualifications denied to the mere theorist or 
scholar. Eeligious experience puts us on our 
guard against the snares of the world, the flesh, 
and the devil. It teaches us modesty, self-dis- 
trust, and humility. It causes us to abound in 
all prudence. It gives us a delightful confir- 
mation in the truth. It fits us for doing good 
to an extent far beyond what we could ever 
attain by instruction in the letter of God's 
word. 

All the friends of true religion ought care- 
fully to guard against the abuses of religious 
experience. They should be very carefiil to 
avoid all vain boasting, a sin into which men 



20 VITAL GODLINESS. 

easily fall. They should learn wisely to dis- 
erimiiiate between the genuine and the spuri- 
ous, between effects produced by divine truth 
on the one hand and by nervous temperament 
on the other. They should be especially care- 
ful not to rely on any past attainments which 
do not produce present good fruit. Any exer- 
cise of the mind which leads us to dulness in 
devotion, to carelessness about holy living, to 
want of zeal for the salvation of men, is not 
gracious. It may be well here to state that 
there is nothing gained by substituting, as some 
seem disposed to do, the term consciousness for 
that of experience. There is no word better 
explained in religious literature than the word 
experience, and such a change of terms is 
likely to induce confusion. 



KELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 21 

CHAPTER II. 

EAELY EELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 

The early exercises of a soul turning to 
Grod have unusual interest, because they are 
connected with the setting up of Christ's king- 
dom in the heart. The mind of man has a 
peculiar delight in contemplating the origin of 
things, and in seeing them rise to vigor. This 
is so in the growth of grain, plants, and trees, 
in the beginning of revolutions, in the found- 
ing of empires, and in the early struggles of 
mind to rise to worth and greatness. But the 
early history of religious impressions has vast 
interest, from the fact that it is the soul that is 
then saved and restored to communion with 
Grod. Cecil says, "The history of a man's 
life is to himself the most interesting history 
in the world, next to that of the Scriptures." 
The reason is that it is a detailed account of 
what he has learned in the school of experi- 
ence. 

AWAKENING. 

The work of God for the recovery of the 
soul of man begins in what is fitly spoken of 



22 VITAL GODLINESS. 

as an awakening. A revival of religion a cen- 
tury ago was often so called. It was a good 
name. It described an effect produced both 
on saints and sinners. The term seems to be 
scriptural. "It is high time to awake out of 
sleep.'' ' ' Awake to righteousness, and sin not." 
*' Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Eom. 
13 : 11 ; 1 Cor. 15 : 34 j Eph. 5 : 14. The pe- 
culiar fitness of this mode of speaking arises 
from the fact that the stupor of a sinful state 
is aptly compared to sleep. That sleep is 
guilty. It is also profound. It is like the 
sleep of death, from which none awake but by 
the power of God. Indulged a little longer, it 
will prove fatal. There is a time when every 
subject of divine grace is awaked from spirit- 
ual lethargy. This awakening is sometimes so 
gentle, that its commencement can hardly be 
fixed to any date. Again, it at once arouses? 
the whole soul. It has often been noticed, 
that in some cases it is preceded by peculiar 
thoughtlessness, or even by outbreaking wick- 
edness. But when Grod's time has come, he 
effectually arouses the soul, and makes his 
arrows sharp in the heart of the King's enemies. 
The means employed to this end are various. 



BELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 23 

God often puts great honor on tlie very words 
of Scripture. '' The word of God is quick, and 
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder 
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar- 
row, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart.'' Heb. 4 : 12. '' The law 
of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." 
Psa. 19:7. Sometimes the mere reading of 
God's word is blessed to this end ; and if men 
could be prevailed on to examine and ponder 
its truths more than they do, they would oftener 
begin the search for a Saviour. Even of the 
darkest book of the New Testament it is said, 
''Blessed is he that readeth, and they that 
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep 
those things which are written therein." Rev. 
1 : 3. Some writers of the seventeenth century 
notice the fact that God honored the phrase, 
"And he died," which occurs so often in the 
fifth chapter of Genesis, to the awakening of a 
great sinner. It is an interesting exercise in 
which little circles, composed of religious peo- 
ple, sometimes engage, to inquire what portion 
of God's word was thus first deeply impressed 
on the mind of each one. 

The word of God preached is still more 



24 VITAL GODLINESS. 

frequently blessed to the same end. Thus 
many thousands were awakened on the day of 
Pentecost. Modern times give us instances of 
many hundreds impressed under one gospel 
sermon. The church of Grod still sings, "How 
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the 
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good 
things.'' "Faith cometh by hearing, and hear- 
ing by the word of Grod." Eom. 10 : 15, 17. 

Uninspired writings, which contain sound 
Bible principles and urge divine things on the 
attention with great tenderness and solemnity, 
are often greatly blessed to men's salvation. 
They awake them out of sleep, and bring into 
exercise all their faculties. It is therefore a 
good thing to circulate good books. The author 
has known five persons in one neighborhood 
brought to deep concern, and finally to a hope 
in Christ, by reading the first part of Dod- 
dridge's Else and Progress of Religion in the 
Soul. 

Sometimes Grod arouses men from their 
guilty slumbers by some startling providence 
or some awful judgment. The sudden death of 
some loved one starts in the mind of the sur- 
vivor the question, Where should I now be, if 
I had been called so soon or with so little 



KELiaiOU^ IMPEESSIONS. 25 

warning? ''When thy judgments are in the 
earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn 
righteousness.'^ Isa. 26:9. Personal afflic- 
tion is sometimes sanctified to the same end. 
In a respectable Christian church, not long 
since, every official member was known to 
have been a thoughtless worldling until God's 
hand was laid heavily upon him. Many a 
child of God now says, "Before I was afflict- 
ed I went astray; but now have I kept thy 
word. It is good for me that I have been 
afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.'' 
Psa. 119:67, 71. ''In their affliction they 
will seek me early." Hos. 5 : 15. Manasseh 
went heedlessly and brutally on in a course of 
crime and cruelty until dreadful calamities 
overtook him. Then he "prayed, and God 
was entreated of him." 2 Chron. 33 : 13. 

Sometimes a pious conversation, a kind 
and friendly admonition, a hint dropped in 
love, a word fitly spoken, has the same effect. 
A profane oath, an act of injustice, a debauch, 
or some other sin, has filled a man's soul with 
such horror that he has had no peace until he 
fled to Christ. To show his power, God may 
make any of our sins to flash condemnation in 
our face, thus fulfilling the scripture, "Thine 

Vital GodUness. 2 



26 VITAL GODiilNESS. 

own wickedness shall correct thee.'^ Jer. 
2:19. 

A powerful means of arousing men to 
attend to their souls' affairs is the conversion 
of their fellows, and especially of notorious 
sinners. Our Lord himself speaks as though 
he regarded this as the loudest kind of call: 
" The publicans and the harlots believed John ; 
and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not 
afterward, that ye might believe him.'^ Matt. 
21 : 32. When rightly considered, the conver- 
sion of a fellow- creature is well suited to call up 
the attention of every candidate for eternity. 

Frequently, however, men can give no 
minute account of the causes or beginnings of 
their increased attention to religion. Nor is it 
necessary that they should. A man may not 
know the steps or causes of his recovery from 
sickness, and yet he may now be a well man. 
Often too there is at first nothing very clear in 
the state of mind of one who is beginning to 
turn to God. Nothing indeed so much inter- 
ests him as the general subject of salvation. 
He sees its importance ; he owns its necessity. 
The mind also often spends its chief thoughts 
for a season on one sin, or one point of truth, 
and this serves as a key to many others. 



RELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 27 

In this state of awakened interest, the 
course of thought pursued is as much in accord- 
ance with the laws of mind, and is in this sense 
as natural, as in any period of one's history ; 
so that the man greatly wonders that he never 
before saw things on this wise. He greatly 
marvels, and well he may, that his mind could 
so long be utterly dead to the things of salva- 
tion. Although he may not yet be the subject 
of a saving change, yet the frame of his soul 
is very different from what it was. Never 
before was he in such a state, for he has now 
fairly entered upon a course of 

EELIGIOUS KEFLECTION. 

The power of reflection is that which chiefly 
distinguishes a man from a brute ; and the 
habit of reflection, more than any thing else, 
distinguishes a wise man from a fool. He 
must be given over to folly who never looks at 
the remote bearings and consequences of his 
actions. Things may easily be done which 
can never be undone. The silliest may plunge 
himself into ruin. There is no wise man who 
is not considerate. The rash, light, heedless 
must expect in all weighty matters to go 
astray. Reflection is important in proportion 



28 VITAL GODLINESS. 

to the gravity of tlie matter on which we are 
called to exercise it. As religion is the most 
important theme on which the human mind is 
ever fixed, so above all other topics human 
salvation calls for thought, care, reflection. 
True religion is as reasonable as it is neces- 
sary. To be pious without thoughtfulness is 
not possible. No one acts so wisely as he who 
counts the cost, looks well to his state, and 
entirely consecrates himself to God. In their 
most solemn appeals, the Scriptures address 
man as rational: ''0 that they would consid- 
er." "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider 
your ways." ''I speak as to wise men; judge 
ye what I say." Deut. 32 : 29 ; Hag. 1:7; 
1 Cor. 10:15. 

Every stage of serious reflection is liable 
to many interruptions. Yet where God has 
begun a work of grace in the soul, the mind 
will not fall into continued thoughtlessness. 
God will employ suitable means to keep the 
attention awake. Perhaps he will make the 
example of the righteous at once a reproof 
and an encouragement, and that of the wicked 
a warning and a cause of alarm to the soul 
ready to settle on its lees. The conduct of 
the worldly or profane is often held before the 



KELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 29 

mind as a mirror, in \Yliicli one sees reflected 
the wickedness of his own life. If God has 
not yet shown to the soul the beauty of holi- 
ness, he at least enables one to see that the 
truly pious possess many advantages, and 
awakens a desire to secure them. It is a point 
gained when one clearly perceives that the 
servant of God is the better man. " So that in 
the midst of company and lawful employments 
one often finds his thoughts eagerly turned to 
everlasting things. This is proof that God has 
not abandoned him to the power of all evil. 
Under such circumstances the talkative man 
will be inclined to silence and seriousness. 
He will look at the past, think of the life he 
has led, recount God's mercies to him, review 
many parts of his conduct with pain, and say. 
If I had my life to live over again, I would not 
do as I have done. I am an unhappy man. 
My state is sinful. Possibly I may be nigh to 
a miserable death or an undone eternity. I 
cannot justify my present course of life. I am 
not fit to die. I am not holy. Sin is deeply 
rooted in my nature. Without a great change 
of character, I shall never be what I ought. 

Looking at the future, he remembers that 
he must live for ever, that ere long death will 



30 VITAL GODLINESS. 

summon him into the presence of his Maker, 
and that without a change in his character and 
prospects, he must pass from the solemnities 
of his lone interview with God to the retribu- 
tions of an unblessed eternit}^ By this time 
he has probably become a habitual reader of 
the Bible and of other religious books. Al- 
though sinful shame has still much power over 
him, yet he thinks prayer useful and obliga- 
tory. A fit place of retirement, suitable words 
to be used, and more than all, a suitable frame 
of mind, seem to him to be wanting. It will 
be well for him if Satan does not prevail on 
him at first quite to restrain prayer. A young 
man under serious impressions once retired to 
his room, locked his door, closed the shutters, 
and was about to pray, when he thought some 
one might see him through the keyhole. He 
went to cover that, when a band of music be- 
gan to play under his window. His attention 
was drawn off. He offered no prayer then. 
His seriousness left him. Let men be warned 
by such a case. Men must call upon God or 
perish. " Let sinners learn to pray." He who 
is effectually diverted from prayer, is hopeless- 
ly involved in guilt. 

Led by God's Spirit, a soul thus awakened 



EELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 31 

and brought to reflection finds out much of 
the vanity of earthly things. His sense of 
their fleeting duration, and of their unsatisfy- 
ing nature, is deep and strong. Once he called 
them the chief good. Now he sees that they 
are vain, empty, delusory. He sees that his 
pursuit of them has been both foolish and sin- 
ful. The merriment which once filled him 
with delight now grieves him to the heart. 

By this time he begins to wonder what 
these things mean, and how they will termi- 
nate. Preaching has a strange effect on him. 
The words of truth have a peculiar pungency. 
He is surprised to find another exactly de- 
scribing his thoughts and feelings. Sometimes 
he suspects that some one has informed the 
minister of Christ of his unhappy state. At 
times he feels a momentary anger that the 
secrets of his heart should be thus exposed; 
but a good conscience will show him that the 
fault is in himself. 

Not unfrequently one in this state is beset 
with sceptical thoughts. They are a great 
annoyance to him ; but his efforts to get rid of 
them are unsuccessful. They are the natural 
fruit of his corrupt and unbelieving heart. 
Nothing belongs more properly to an unregen- 



32 VITAL GODLINESS. 

erate state. He has wickedly cherished them 
for a long time. The habit of unbelief has 
grown inveterate. 

The best means to be used for overcoming 
these infidel temptations will be hearty prayer 
and the simple reading of God's word. The 
gospel is its own witness. The word of Grod 
is life and spirit. Nothing so directly and for- 
cibly attacks sin. Yet no means possess inhe- 
rent and adequate efficacy. God alone can 
cast out this devil of uncleanness and scepti- 
cism. Hence the necessity of fervent prayer. 
If the Lord should leave one in this doleful 
state of unbelief, his destruction would be 
inevitable, but it would be just. 

One who has been brought thus far may 
be sorely tempted to give up both the hope 
and the pursuit of salvation. Seeing himself 
very far short of what he ought to be, he fears 
that he may never become a Christian. Should 
such fears prevail, he will sink into the inert- 
ness of despondency. Yet if God purposes to 
grant him salvation, he will not allow him to 
consent to the tempter. A kindly influence 
in his heart will urge him to flee from the 
wrath to come. He will feel that he cannot 
turn back. ISTor can he stand still. He is 



RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 33 

afraid of the avenger of blood. He lias hope 
that he shall yet be in the city of refuge. 
Sometimes fears almost overwhelm him; but 
yet they are not allowed quite to prevail 
against him. This state of mind is followed 
by religious inquiry. 



34 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER III. 

EAELY EELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS— 

CONTINUED. 

BELIGIOUS INQUIRY. 

Religious inquiry naturally succeeds re- 
flection. The three thousand converted on the 
day of Pentecost were all honest and earnest 
inquirers: ''Men and brethren, what shall we 
do V^ Acts 2 : 37. The same was true of Saul 
of Tarsus : "Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do?'' Acts 9:6. So also the jailer cried, 
''Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts 
16 : 30. It cannot be otherwise with the truly 
awakened. Any man in deep distress and 
ignorant of the true method of deliverance, 
will naturally and earnestly desire instruction. 
The truly anxious soul will cry to God for di- 
vine guidance : Teach me thy statutes ; lead 
me in a plain path ; let me not err from thy 
ways ; my Father, be thou my guide. He 
will also search the Scriptures with a sincere 
desire to know their teachings. He will ask 
the pilgrims to Zion and the ministers of the 
gospel to show him the way to the hill of the 



RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 35 

Lord. Sometimes he finds poor counsellors, 
who but perplex or mislead him. But the 
best directions that can be given him are 
either not understood or not followed, until he 
is led by the Spirit of all truth. I have known 
an intelligent man to send seven hundred miles 
for a printed sermon which had been useful to 
one of his friends, in the hope that it might 
show him also the way of life. 

The chief ingredient of this inquiry, when 
it is likely to result in saving good, is its sin- 
cerity. The young ruler asked our Lord a 
very weighty question and in a very earnest 
manner ; but as soon as he got the full an- 
swer, he went away exceeding soi;rowful. Saul 
of Tarsus cried, ''Lord, what wilt thou have 
me to do?" As soon as he received the an- 
swer, he obeyed the voice of Christ. There is 
no substitute for genuine sincerity. The lack 
of it spoils every thing. 

True, hearty inquiry is soon followed by 

GOOD RESOLUTIONS. 

Within the present century some have 
taught that a change of the governing purpose 
was the great essential of salvation. The 
practical result on many was a belief that if 
they resolved to be Christians, they were 



36 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Christians. This greatly damaged the cause 
of Christ and injured men's souls. In oppos- 
ing it, perhaps some went to the opposite ex- 
treme. It is not consistent with the laws of 
the human mind to undertake and execute 
any great work without a purpose of heart so* 
to do. Accordingly he whose case we are 
considering, resolves to forsake some known 
or open sins, to avoid profane language, com- 
pany, and practices, or to perform certain 
known duties. But he now learns how diffi- 
cult it is for him, who is accustomed to do evil, 
to learn to do well. The usefulness of forming 
resolutions depends very much on the state of 
heart accompanying them. When made in a 
spirit of self-righteousness, or under a vain 
persuasion that we may thus commend our- 
selves to God, they are of no use. Purposes 
formed in a spirit of self-dependence vanish 
before temptation as walls of snow melt away 
before a vernal sun. Resolutions formed in 
gross ignorance, in thoughtlessness, or in vain- 
glory, profit not. We should never resolve to 
do an impossibility. Yet no man amends his 
ways without forming a purpose to that effect. 
A sound mind first lays its plan, and then ex- 
ecutes it. Only madmen live without method. 



RELIGIOUS IMPRESSIONS. 37 

The prodigal's return to duty and the home of 
his youth was preceded by the resolution, "I 
will arise and go to my father." The resolu- 
tions of the elder President Edwards doubt- 
less exerted a happy influence on his subse- 
quent life. They are remarkable for sobriety. 
John Caspar Christian Lavater, an eminent 
servant of Christ, died at Zurich in Switzer- 
land, A. D. 1799. He has left some sober and 
practical resolutions, which are but little known. 
They are : 

* ' I will never, either in the morning or 
evening, proceed to any business, until I have 
first retired, at least for a few moments, to a 
private place, and implored God for his assist- 
ance and blessing. 

' ' I will neither do nor undertake any thing 
which I would abstain from doing if Jesus 
Christ were standing visibly before me, nor 
any of which I think it possible that I shall 
repent in the uncertain hour of my certain 
death. I will, with the divine aid, accustom 
myself to do every thing without exception in 
the name of Jesus Christ, and as his disciple 
I will sigh to God continually for the Holy 
Ghost to preserve myself in a constant dispo- 
sition for prayer. 



38 VITAL GODLINESS. ' 

''Every day shall be distinguished by at 
least one particular work of love. 

''Every day I will be especially attentive 
to promote the benefit and advantage of my 
own family in particular. 

' ' I will never eat or drink so much as shall 
occasion to me the least inconvenience or hin- 
derance in my business. Wherever I go, I 
will first pra}^ to God that I may commit no 
sin therCj but be the cause of some good. 

"I will never lie down to sleep without 
praying, nor, when I am in health, sleep lon- 
ger than eight hours at most. 

"I will every evening examine my con- 
duct through the day by these rules, and faith- 
fully note down in my journal how often I of- 
fend against them.'^ 

The Scriptures tell us of many who formed 
solemn resolutions. Joshua said, "As for me 
and my house, we will serve the Lord." The 
Psalms abound with solemn purposes: "I will 
love thee, Lord, my strength;" "I will call 
upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised ;" 
"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I 
sin not with my tongue f "I will hope contin- 
ually, and will yet praise thee more and more ;" 
" I will remember thy wonders of old. I will 



RELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 39 

meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy 
doings f "I will call upon him as long as I 
live ;" "I will keep thy statutes." If you form 
resolutions, there can be no valid objection 
against writing them down. If formed, they 
should be intelligible, humble, well weighed, 
well understood, practicable, and adopted with 
caution, prayer, and deep solemnity. When 
a resolution is made, it should be kept. "Vow 
and pay unto the Lord." He hath ''no pleas- 
ure in fools." 

But a soul, in its first drawings towards 
divine things, finds it easier to resolve than to 
execute. Its resolutions seem in a great meas- 
ure to fail. One washes himself in snow-water, 
but God plunges him in the ditch, and his own 
clothes abhor him. He finds that an external 
remedy will not cure an internal disease. Un- 
der the pungent preaching of the truth, his sins 
appear fearfully numerous and heinous. He 
loses the boasting spirit of self-exaltation which 
he once had. His eye gives way when you 
speak to him of serious matters. 

Even with his kindred, his chief thoughts 
relate to salvation. If any of them are pious, 
he will seek an opportunity to disclose his state 
of mind. If they are ungodly, he will be pained 



40 VITAL GODLINESS. 

by their wickedness. His thoughts on the les- 
sons of piety taught him by his parents deeply 
affect him. If any of his friends have died in 
faith, he thinks of their example, and would 
fain follow their footsteps. 

Meanwhile the world recedes from his view, 
and his prospects for the future seem to be 
under an eclipse. Once all seemed gay and 
dazzling before him ; but now the things of 
time are growing less and less. As the coast 
of his native land fades from the view of the 
mariner going out to sea, so the scenes, the 
business, the attractions of earth are one by 
one lost to the view of a soul under the grow- 
ing influence of divine truth. Such a process 
awakens feelings of sadness and desolation. 
By night, on his bed, he is restless and uncom- 
fortable. His sleep is neither sound nor re- 
freshing. Sometimes he is afraid to go to sleep, 
lest he should not awake in this world. He 
is troubled in visions of the night. And when 
he awakes, his heart is still heavy. The sub- 
jects of sin and salvation still press upon him 
and hold his attention. At night he wishes it 
were morning, and in the morning he wishes 
it were night. 

Sometimes he is suddenly surprised into 



EELIGIOUS IMPKESSIONS. 41 

sin, and finds that all his hopes of being al- 
ready beyond the reach of evil are vain. He 
is amazed at his own weakness and inability to 
resist temptations. He mends his wall and 
daubs it with untempered mortar as before, 
and the Lord again rends it, and makes his 
soul sick at its own follies. But it is almost 
impossible to cure him of the belief that he can 
yet do something to purpose. 

In this state of mind he wishes the pious 
would converse with him on his souFs affairs, 
and yet he has a dread of such a thing. He is 
willing to be instructed, and yet he is reluc- 
tant to walk in the way when he knows it. 
Sometimes he thinks he would give any thing 
for a new heart, and yet he will not make a 
full surrender. He would like to wear the 
linen white and clean, but he will not cast 
away the filthy rags of his own righteousness. 
In fine, his mind seems to be in a very con- 
tradictory state. He seems greatly humbled, 
but he will not take upon him Christ's yoke. 
He seems much inclined to the service of God, 
and yet he is led captive by sin. 

If any ask what will be the result of all 
these thoughts and exercises, the answer is 
that they will either lead to peace with Grod, 



4:2 VITAL GODLINESS. 

or to deeper guilt than ever before rested on 
the soul. These thoughts will either lead the 
soul to Christ, or they will leave it oppressed 
with unutterable criminality. He who thus 
feels will soon be a child of God, or twofold 
more the child of evil than ever. He will 
soon have a broken heart, or a heart fearfully 
hardened ; a will sweetly submissive to Grod, 
or fearfully perverse and obstinate. Such in- 
fluences as he is now under cannot be felt and 
the soul remain unaffected. They will produce 
vast good or prodigious evil. 

Nor can an}^ thing but great wickedness 
prevent a sound and speedy conversion to 
Grod. Self-murder, self-murder will be the 
awful sound that will ring for ever in the ears 
of such as are moved in the manner described, 
and yet shall die impenitent. ' ' Israel, thou 
hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help." 

It is always safe and scriptural to urge 
persons thus exercised to make direct and im- 
mediate application to the Saviour. Let them 
come, though blind and naked, vile and guilty, 
helpless and miserable. Let. none wait in an 
idle expectation that the terms of salvation 
will be altered. God draws all his true peo- 
ple, but he will drag none to heaven contrary 



EELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 43 

to their wills. The promise is, *'My people 
shall be willing in the day of my power." The 
invitations of the gospel are to the needy, the 
wretched) the lost. But let no man who is 
still in his sins suppose that he is willing to 
come to Christ, and that Christ is not willing 
to receive him. The reverse is the truth. 

Let not persons thus concerned about eter- 
nal things be scared away from the whole mat- 
ter of piety if they find their own hearts des- 
perately wicked. Every man's heart has al- 
ways been more wicked than he ever thought 
it to be. He who will not permit his wounds 
to be probed, must expect to die. Henry 
Martyn tells us that when awakened to divine 
things, he refused to read Doddridge's Eise 
and Progress of Eeligion, because he found the 
first part of it so humiliating. A discovery of 
one's sinfulness will not make him sinful, but it 
may lead to salvation. 

Let all beginning a religious life expect 
sore trials. Satan is always most busy with 
those who are struggling to escape from his 
dominion. Men see their own want of heart, 
and Satan would persuade them that all relig- 
ion is hypocrisy. 

It is to be regretted that persons who 



44 VITAL GODLINESS. 

are seeking salvation should be brought too 
much into public notice. It is to be feared 
that many talk away their religious impres- 
sions, or allow others to do it. It is when one 
"sitteth alone and keepeth silence" that he is 
likely to ''put his mouth in the dust; if so be 
there may be hope.'' Lam. 3 : 28, 29. In the 
twelfth chapter of his prophecy, verses 9-14, 
Zechariah describes the effect of a general out- 
pouring of God's Spirit as inclining all classes 
to weep alone. 

Let inquirers after salvation beware of bad 
company. ''If sinners entice thee, consent 
thou not." " The companion of fools shall be 
destroyed." Even in good company there may 
be excess. But all bad company is danger- 
ous. To avoid all commerce with the wicked 
is neither obligatory nor practicable. But 
between civil intercourse and companionship 
there is a wide difference. 

It would be a great thing if those who are 
not Christians could be led to entertain some 
just sense of the evil of sin. Oh that the wick- 
ed knew the import of those words of Francis 
Spira: " Man knows the beginning of sin, but 
who bounds the issues thereof?" It is easy to 
do mischief, but who can undo it ? To sin is 



EELIGIOUS IMPEESSIONS. 45 

natural ; but to escape from it requires atoning 
blood, and the supernatural agency of God's 
Spirit. 

It is always a duty to urge men to imme- 
diate faith and repentance. ''Behold, now is 
the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of 
salvation.^' Call on men to do with their might 
whatever their hands find to do. " In his lives 
of great men, Plutarch says of Hannibal, that 
when he could have taken Eome, he would not ; 
and when he would have taken Rome, he could 
not. It is true of many, that when they can 
secure a title to God's favor, they will not ; and 
when they wish to do it, they cannot because 
they have misspent all their days of grace. 



46 VITAL GODLINESS. 

CHAPTER lY. 

FURTHER STRIVINGS OF THE SPIRIT. 

Some account has been given of a soul 
beginning to shake off its guilty slumbers, and 
to turn its thoughts to the unspeakable con- 
cerns of sin and duty, immortality and glory, 
salvation and perdition. One who has had 
the exercises of mind thus described is certain- 
ly under the teachings of the Holy Spirit. 
Yet he may have many such thoughts and 
emotions without knowing their origin or Au- 
thor. In giving this history of the mind's op- 
erations and discoveries, it is proper to state 
that ere this a suspicion, if not a conviction, 
that Grod's Spirit is now at work in the heart, 
takes possession of the mind. Nor is this 
without foundation. The fact is, that none 
but the Holy Ghost could have brought about 
this great change of views and purposes. It 
is not easy to tell what a solemn awe fills the 
mind when first a man is persuaded that he is 
the subject of supernatural and divine influ- 
ences. The soul, like the patriarch, says, 
"Surely God is in this place, and I knew it 



STEIVINGS OF THE SPIEIT, 47 

not." Such a view hushes the soul into still- 
ness. It remembers Grod and is troubled. He 
who feels thus is inclined to silence, lest he 
should do something wrong, and is afraid lest 
he should be deceived, or lest by thoughtless- 
ness he should grieve the Spirit far from him, 
and relapse into former carelessness and ini- 
quity. In this state of mind he will cry, "Cast 
me not away from thy presence, and take not 
thy Holy Spirit from me. Uphold me with 
thy free Spirit.'^ He will now give a decided 
preference to pious company. He looks on 
the children of God as the excellent of the 
earth. Yet intercourse with them deepens 
discoveries of sinfulness in his own heart. 
When they speak of joys, he longs for the 
same. He feels as if he had nothing whereof 
to rejoice. The review of his past life affords 
him no pleasure. It is all a dark, unillumined 
retrospect. It is gloomy, like the shades of 
death. He sees how vain and empty has been 
every thing which he once called happiness. 
He has now found out that the world is a 
cheat. His impression is that true religion 
would make him a happy man, and he is right. 
Sometimes his expectation of a speedy change 
becomes strong. He hopes he shall soon be a 



48 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Christian. He has an inextinguishable thirst 
for something which he has never had. To 
keep him from despair, a little light sometimes 
beams upon his path. 

Then again, all his hopes of deliverance 
seem to forsake him. His affections seem to 
grow cold. Even his desires for any thing 
good appear to be languid. He is a mystery 
to himself. He exceedingly doubts whether 
he shall ever be a child of God. Thus hope 
and fear alternate. He is restless and unhap- 
py. He deeply regrets that he did not long 
since become a Christian, when his heart was 
less depraved and his will less stubborn. It 
cuts him to the heart to remember that all this 
sorrow over time misspent and opportunities 
lost is unavailing. He fears lest his present 
call should pass away unimproved. Nor are 
his apprehensions wholly without foundation, 
for notwithstanding all his efforts, his sins hang 
over him in all their guilt, number, and aggra- 
vations. Nay, they seem to be multiplied and 
magnified. The mote has become a beam, the 
molehill a mountain, the rivulet a torrent. 
These things incline him to solitude, and he 
goes mourning all the day. He has no heart 
for the mirth of the wicked, for he sees some- 



STRIVINGS OF THE SPIRIT. 49 

thing of the evil of sin. He is not a partaker 
of the joys of the righteous, and therefore he 
feels not as if between him and them there 
was any warm or close fellowship. Go where 
he may, he feels wretched and self-condemned. 
He wonders that God has not long since de- 
stroyed him. He marvels that he does not 
now cut him down. Yet he hopes that this 
drawing of the Spirit is a token for good. He 
knows that his case is hopeless only when God 
totally and finally abandons him to the power 
of his sins and to the guilt of his iniquities. 
Thus every motion of the Spirit in his heart is 
an argument against despair. 

Should his wicked companions discover or 
even suspect his state of mind, some of them 
will shun him, others will be alarmed, and yet 
others will scoff at him. These will raise the 
old cry, "Wilt thou also be his disciple?" 
Some will ask him if he is willing to give up 
all his pleasures ; others will seek to allure him 
into forbidden paths; others will say, He is 
beside himself. But if God intends to bring 
him to a settled and renewed state, these 
things will deepen his distress and his views 
of the state of sin and misery into which he is 
plunged. 

vital OodlinesB. 3 



50 VITAL GODLINESS. 

At the commencement of his seriousness he 
had many crude opinions. Perhaps he thought 
he never would become a member of the 
church, but that he would be religious in a 
private way. Now he wishes that he was fit 
to be numbered among God's people. Or he 
once thought that if any great change ever 
came over him, it must be either very sudden- 
ly or very gradually. Now he would be happy 
to be converted in any way that the Lord 
might choose. He now probably supposes his 
failure is owing to the want of more system in 
his plan of proceeding; and so he adopts a 
rule for reading so much every day, or he de- 
termines to pray with more frequency, or with 
more outward signs of humiliation. But all 
proves unsatisfactory: he finds he can no 
more chain his thoughts than he can bind the 
wind ; that he can no more bend his will than 
he can grasp the sun; that he can no more 
repent or believe than do the most impossible 
thing, if he is wholly left to his own energies. 
He is now experiencing what Paul felt: "I 
was alive without the law once ; but when the 
commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 
And the commandment which was ordained to 
life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking 



STRIVINGS OF THE SPIEIT. 51 

occasion by the commandment, deceived me, 
and by it slew me." Eom. 7:9-11. The 
law, like a lamp brought into a dark and filthy 
room, has disclosed the wretched state of the 
soul. What the law requires is found to be 
wanting. What it forbids is seen to be pres- 
ent. Sin begins to be regarded as sinful. It 
alarmingly abounds. One thus" distressed, 
feeling the bitterness in his own soul, is almost 
sure that others must know his sad state. He 
wonders that Christians do not speak to him 
of his spiritual interests. He says, "No man 
careth for my soul." Like the prodigal, he is 
ready to perish, and no man gives unto him. 
He is amazed that some professors should be 
so absorbed with trifles and vanities of earth, 
while things of eternal moment press on his 
mind with such weight. 

Should he fall in with a bigoted sectarian, 
more intent on making a proselyte to a party 
than on saving a soul from death, he may for 
a while be perplexed ; but unless God should 
forsake him, he will not in the end be much 
influenced by him. The necessities of a soul 
thus pressed with guilt are too urgent to per- 
mit it to be absorbed with forms and names 
and pomps and shadows. The fiery sectary 



52 VITAL GODLINESS. 

will soon be shunned. He was asked for 
bread, and he gave a stone. He was asked 
for a fish, and he gave a serpent. A poor 
soul, like the hunted hart on the mountain, is 
thirsting for living waters, and cares not for 
the strifes of words and the disputes of proud 
reasoners. He who is dying of thirst wants 
water, and nothing else. It is a glorious sight 
when God's Spirit triumphs over the efforts of 
bigotry and formalism and fanaticism, and 
brings a soul safely through their enticements. 

One thing is now apparent : it is that 
God's word is no longer a dead letter. It has 
power and pungency. There is a disposition 
to apply the truth. Texts which once exerted 
no power over the mind have a keen edge. It 
seems to this man strange that he should not 
long since have yielded to the force of consid- 
erations which now have so vast an influence 
over him. Preaching has great point. In- 
deed, it seems to him that sermons are laying 
open the secrets of his heart. Sometimes he 
suspects ministers of indulging in personalities, 
when they know nothing of his sore distress. 

He will now seek any book that he hears 
of as suited to his state of mind. But if it is 
sound and discriminating, while it enlightens^ 



STEIVINGS OF THE SPIEIT. 53 

it also distresses him. He wishes he could be 
exempt from worldly cares, that he might give 
undivided attention to more important con- 
cerns. When he hears of others obtaining a 
joyful hope in Christ, he is tempted to have 
hard thoughts of God because he finds no re- 
lief. But if Grod intends to bring him to a 
saving experience, he will show him the wick- 
edness of all such charges against his Maker 
and his Sovereign. *'Be still, and know that 
I am God." "The Lord is greatly to be 
feared." 

He now finds himself involved in doubt 
and darkness. He knows nothing as he ought 
to know it. He longs for a guide, yet through 
unbelief rejects the only infallible teacher. 
He says, I am brought into darkness, and not 
into light ; I look for light, but there is none ; 
I feel after God, but I cannot find him. He 
asks the watchman to direct him, but he is 
still lost and bewildered. He finds that his 
case is wholly unmanageable by human skill 
and efforts. His heart, which until lately he 
regarded as good, he finds to be hard, corrupt, 
and stubborn. The cry of the Shunamite's 
child was, "My head, my head!" but the 
lament of this man is, " My heart, my heart!"' 



Bi VITAL GODLINESS. 

He finds it so unfeeling that he readily joins 
with the poet, and says, 

*' Of feeling aU things show some sign, 

But this rebellious heart of mine. " 
** My heart, how very hard it is. 
How heavy here it hes ; 
Heavy and cold within my breast, 
Just like a rock of ice." 

To remove this hardness, he will bring before 
his mind images and denunciations of God's 
displeasure against the wicked. But it "shakes 
not at the wrath and terrors of a God.'' When 
he would melt it by tender reflections on God's 
love, he finds it still full of revolt ; and even 
the scenes of Calvary often make it the more 
stout and defiant. 

A sense of personal vileness may be strong 
and painful, and he may cry, ''Create in me a 
clean heart, God, and renew a right spirit 
within me." Yet oftentimes this prayer seems 
to have no heart in it. He does indeed long 
for purity of nature ; but perhaps it is only that 
he may have something whereof to boast before 
God, or some righteousness of his own — to come 
before God with a price in his hand. 

The author of these new views and emo- 
tions is the Spirit of God. These are the 
strivings of Him who was promised to convince 



STEIVINGS OF THE SPIEIT. 55 

the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment. He is now calling the soul to forsake 
sin and turn to God. The fears which torment 
his soul are the natural result of recent discov- 
eries of Grod's amazing mercy and holiness, 
justice and power, which have all been slighted 
and contemned. Though no terrors will change 
the heart, yet they may be useful in driving 
the soul out of itself and away from its false 
refuges. He who is thus exercised ought to 
know that the kingdom of God is come nigh 
unto him ; that now is his time to turn and live, 
while the Spirit strives. Should he withdraw, 
all is lost. Without his influences, we can no 
more move heavenward than we can sail a ship 
without wind. 

That God's Spirit may call men to repent- 
ance, and be resisted, and take his final de- 
parture, is clear. The Scriptures say, "My 
Spirit shall not always strive with man." Gen. 
6:3. "Ephraim is joined to idols; let him 
alone." Hos. 4 : 17. The word of God also 
gives us cases in which men have been greatly 
affected by divine things, and have had awful 
and pungent distress, and yet have drawn back 
to perdition. In the Old Testament, Saul and 
Ahab, in the New, Herod, Simon Magus, Fe- 



56 VITAL GODLINESS. 

lix, and Agrippa, are illustrations of tlie fear- 
ful abandonment of God. Men thus left to 
their own corruptions will inevitably perish. 
They will work out their own damnation with 
greediness. One of the greatest points of dan- 
ger is found in the fact that a man may grieve 
away the Spirit without any fixed purpose of 
bringing his soul into such guilt. Obstinate 
resistance, continued unbelief, and refusal to 
obey the call when given, are often all that is 
necessary to quench the heavenly fire within 
us, and consign us to the coldness of death. 

Hardly any thing is more offensive to God 
than an all-absorbing engagedness in worldly 
pursuits. This often causes the Spirit of God 
to forsake a man and leave him to the power 
of evil. ''If any man love the world, the love 
of the Father is not in him." "They that will 
be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and 
into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
drown men in destruction and perdition." 
1 John 2 : 15, and 1 Tim. 6:9. If a man pre- 
fers the present to the future, earth to heaven, 
riches that perish to riches which endure to 
eternal life, he offers an insult to God of so ag- 
gravated a nature as itself to justify God in 
leaving him to himself for ever. 



STRIVINGS or THE SPIRIT. 57 

Others indulge in a dangerous levity of 
mind. They are too frivolous to take hold of 
eternal things with any earnestness. To them 
solemnity is torment. They might be relig- 
ious, if they might retain a light and trifling 
state of mind. But they regard the heavy de- 
mands made on their sobriety as enormous and 
unreasonable. So they lose their souls in a 
laugh. They jest and make a mock of awful 
things. They trifle with Scripture. Even 
their prayers do not partake of any profound 
awe. 

Some men perish through a wild conceit, a 
fancy of their own, a whim that they will not 
surrender. On no subject are men so full of 
crotchets and quibbles as on religion. They 
sport themselves with their own deceivings. 
They are often better pleased with a phantom 
than with a reality. Error is sweeter than 
truth to the carnal mind. If men will prefer 
any thing to God's word, they must go down 
to death. 

The angry passions, envy, hatred, malice, 
spitefulness, resentment, are all exceedingly 
offensive to God's Spirit. Pride and fretful- 
ness are no less his abhorrence. He who hates 
his brother is a murderer. He who will not 



68 VITAL GODLINESS. 

forgive shall not be forgiven. The only visi- 
ble shape in which the Holy Grhost ever de- 
scended was that of a dove ; and a dove is the 
very emblem of peace and gentleness, and flies 
from strife and noise and war. Therefore Paul 
says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God;'' 
and adds, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and 
anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking be put 
away from you, with all malice ; and be ye 
kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving 
one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, 
hath forgiven you." Eph. 4 : 30-32. 

Too much company, and even too much 
attention to the public means of grace, maybe 
unfriendly to the continued presence and power 
of God's Spirit in the heart. He loves to al- 
lure the soul, and bring her into the wilder- 
ness. In solitude the Spirit often pours his 
clearest light into the mind. It has been ob- 
served that meetings long protracted often ex- 
haust the energies of the mind, and leave it in 
a state of apparent callousness. Bad company 
must of course be avoided. It has destroyed 
many. It ruined Herod. For his oath's sake, 
and for the sake of them that sat at meat with 
him, he took the life of the very man whose 
ministry had so deeply impressed him. 



STEIVINGS OF THE SPIKIT. 59 

Sins of the appetite, such as gluttony and 
drunkenness, though they be not carried to the 
greatest lengths, have a brutalizing and hard- 
ening effect on the mind. All sensuality is 
followed by like consequences. He whose god 
is his belly cannot choose the Grod of heaven 
for his portion. He who is given to the bottle 
may have redness of eyes, but cannot have a 
penitent spirit. A devotion to the carnal is 
closely allied to the pursuit of the devilish. 
The sensual easily break all their good resolu- 
tions. They pamper the flesh. They grieve 
the Spirit. They yield to temptation, and are 
soon plunged into many dreadful sins. 

It is to be feared that some allow their re- 
ligious impressions to run too much in the way 
of sentimentalism. It is possible for men to 
weep away all their convictions. It is natural 
for distress to pass away in floods of tears. 
The Spirit strives not merely to induce men to 
shed some tears, but to lead them to forsake 
sin and turn to God. Till this result is gained, 
nothing is effectually accomplished. To come 
short of this, is to resist Him who calls us to a 
new life, to new hopes, to salvation. 

Others harden themselves in sin by refus- 
ing the means of grace. They will not read 



60 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and study God's word ; they will not pray ; 
they avoid religious conversation ; they conceal 
the state of their minds ; they are careless or 
irregular hearers of the gospel ; above all, they 
refuse to practise what they already know, and 
so they make no progress. They do nothing 
except as they are moved by fears or remorse. 
They seem quite inclined to religion when 
pangs are upon them. They cry, and even 
roar under the terrors of God ; but the}^ never 
frame their doings to please him. If God 
leave such to utter hardness, it wi^l be no 
wonder. 

Sometimes men seal their doom by resolv- 
ing to give their chief attention to outward 
things and external reformations, neglecting 
the religion of the heart. Some years ago a 
wicked man, in great distress about his soul, 
said, "I have made up my mind to amend my 
speech, and afterwards to attend to my heart." 
It was the signal of his ruin. His seriousness 
forsook him. He lived several years a hard- 
ened, foul-mouthed man, and then died a vio- 
lent death. The Scripture rule is, first make 
the tree good, and then the fruit shall be good ; 
purify the fountain, and the stream shall be 
sweet. He whose main desire is to cleanse 



STRIVINGS OF THE SPIRIT. 61 

the outside of the platter, even if he were suc- 
cessful, might yet die without hope. 

Continued unbelief and impenitence, under 
any conceivable circumstances, may and must 
cause us to be given over to blindness of mind 
and hardness of heart. Many whose morals 
were blameless, who fully intended to lead a 
religious life but never did, who shed many 
tears and bore many terrors, have at last 
uttered the cry, "The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and I am not saved." He 
who called them suddenly forsook them. Wick- 
ed men are often surprised at finding them- 
selves deserted by their serious thoughts, and 
unmoved by any tender impressions. 

Against an issue so fatal there is no protec- 
tion till one casts himself at the feet of Jesus. 
The longer this is deferred, the worse will be 
the sinner's state and the more imminent his 
perilo Already sin, like a gangrene, has 
spread its roots into every vital part. Unless 
there is a sovereign remedy, all is lost. Unless 
that remedy be applied, it were as well for 
him that it had never been provided. Who- 
ever is the subject of divine influences is in a 
fearfully critical state. To use a figure under- 
stood by all, he has come to the forks of the 



62 VITAL GODLINESS. 

road. The right way is narrow, steep, and 
difficult, but it leads to God and glory. The 
other leads to death. 

ISTor does any man know whether a soul 
once forsaken of God will ever be called again. 
Thousands have succeeded in stifling convic- 
tions and shaking off impressions, which proved 
to be the last effects of the Spirit's strivings. 
There is no more fearful state than that of a 
soul meditating the rejection — for what proves 
to be the last time — of the blessed Spirit of 
God. 

As God has no other Son to give for our 
salvation if we reject the Lord Jesus, so he 
has no other Spirit to send into our hearts and 
call us to repentance if we reject the Holy 
Ghost. And if any man fails to secure illumi- 
nation, regeneration, and sanctification by this 
divine Agent, those mercies will never be his. 
Every good thought, every right affection, and 
every holy desire come from him alone. A 
ship may have ten thousand yards of sail 
spread out, but that will never carry her into 
port unless the wind blows. 

Let none forget that the Spirit of. God is 
most loving and merciful. This is proven by 
all Scripture and by all the Spirit's work. 



STEIYINGS OF THE SPIKIT. 63 

None is more kind, none is more gentle. A 
young lad had been resisting the calls of mercy. 
At last he opened the door and admitted the 
heavenly Stranger. His soul was so overcome 
with a sense of his vileness in so long resisting 
such mercy, that he said nothing had ever 
seemed to him so wicked, so ungrateful. He 
was right. 

Urge all inquirers to make immediate sub- 
mission to Christ, immediate application to the 
Saviour for mercy. Many years ago, a young 
man in distress for his soul revealed the state 
of his mind to an eminent minister, and then 
said, "If I should die to-night, do you think I 
should be saved?" The minister replied, "I 
have no sufficient reason for supposing that you 
love Christ ; and if you do not, then you can- 
not be saved." ''Then," said the young man, 
"I will sleep no more this night;" and he went 
out and spent the whole night in prayer. As 
the day began to break, he returned to the 
house where the minister was, rejoicing in 
hope of the glory of Grod, and saying, ' ' I have 
found Christ precious to my soul." Oh that all 
men were in good earnest in seeking their own 
R^^^ation. 



64 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER V. 

A SENSE OF WEETOHEDNESS. 

A WRITER wlio flourislied more than a thou- 
sand years ago reckons up two hundred and 
eighty-eight opinions of the ancients respecting 
the way of happiness. The fact is that man's 
want of happiness results from the most pow- 
erful causes — causes not capable of being re- 
moved but by an almighty Friend. So long 
as man and society remain in themselves what 
they are, more or less misery is inevitable. 
For wise purposes Grod denies us any cup of 
pure, unmixed pleasure in this life. Every 
generation endures a vast amount of misery. 
Poverty, disease, bereavements, commotions, 
make many sigh. Many, like Job, are weary 
of life. Yet mere suffering, without the grace 
of God, is unprofitable. One of the most pain- 
ful thoughts connected with a sight of the woes 
of many is, that present sorrows are but pre- 
ludes to those which shall be eternal. Most 
men mourn their want of health, wealth, hon- 
or, or success. How few deplore their uncon- 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 65 

verted state and their multiplied oJBfences. 
But here and there one seeks deliverance from 
sin, which ought to be felt as the most grievous 
of all burdens. Indeed, how few have any 
deep, settled conviction of their own vileness. 
While this is so, they will not cry for mercy. 

But now and then we find an exception. 
At first, indeed, the oppression of the spirit 
may not be great ; but he who has just views 
of the nature of sin, will hardly stop short of 
great carefulness in seeking salvation. A 
slight view of ill-desert, united with a convic- 
tion of personal depravity, may awaken the 
first uneasiness. But divine grace has a ten- 
dency to develop clear views of spiritua 
things; and he who begins with very indis* 
tinct views, will find out by degrees great 
wonders in himself. At such a time a man 
easily discovers also that this world is a very 
unsubstantial good. It is not a saving, but to 
one rightly aff*ected it is a profitable lesson, 
that all in this world is vanity of vanities. 
Men may indeed see the emptiness of earth, 
and sink into despair ; but men wholly satis- 
fied with this world will hardly seek a better 
country. 

Right views of one's real character and 



66 VITAL GODLINESS. 

standing in God's sight as a sinner must be 
more or less painful and mortifying. So God 
says of Ephraim, *'I have surely heard Ephra- 
im bemoaning himself thus : Thou hast chas- 
tised me, and I was chastised as a bullock 
unaccustomed to the yoke : turn thou me, and 
I shall be turned." Jer. 31:18. This be- 
moaning one's self is the same state of mind 
elsewhere described in God's word as a weari- 
ness, an oppression of the soul. God often 
subjects those whom he would save to a train- 
ing and discipline none the less salutary be- 
cause very grievous. They are made to smart 
for their follies. They are sensible that they 
are out of the right way. They are disconso- 
late, and have no comforter. Things which 
lately attracted them are stripped of their be- 
witching splendor, and the heart is emptied of 
all that once charmed it. Such will soon be 
found writing bitter things against themselves. 
Every one thus exercised will say, "I am 
more brutish than any man, and have not 
the understanding of a man. I neither learn- 
ed wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the 
holy." Prov. 30 : 2, 3. A sense of his own 
weakness and blindness takes possession of 
him. He is not hard to be persuaded that 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 67 

others know more than himself. He has learn- 
ed that so many of his views are erroneous, 
that he has lost confidence in his judgments of 
religious matters. Such a discovery is to him 
of the highest importance. Had he remained 
in his former self-ignorance, he would have 
utterly perished in his own corruptions. 

Such things are attended with a percep- 
tion of his vileness and unworthiness, and like 
some of old, he arises in his heaviness and falls 
on his knees, and. spreads out his hands unto 
the Lord, and says, "0 my God, I am asham- 
ed, and blush to lift up my face to thee ; for 
mine iniquities are increased over my head, and 
my trespass is grown up unto the heavens.'^ 
Ezra 9:6, 6. Or he feels as David once did : 
*' Innumerable evils have compassed me about: 
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so 
that I am not able to look up ; they are more 
than the hairs of my head : therefore my heart 
faileth me." Psa. 40 : 12. The number of his 
sins is so great, that he sees it is quite beyond 
his power either to subdue them or wash them 
away. Nor is he mistaken. Unless God un- 
dertakes for him, his undoing is everlasting. 
Like the publican, he stands afar off, and does 
not so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but 



68 VITAL GODLINESS. 

smites on his breast, and says, Grod be merci- 
ful to me a sinner. 

Nor is it only the number of his sins, but 
also the evil nature of sin itself, that deeply 
affects him. He now sees that sin is a horri- 
ble evil, a deadly poison, a desperate malig- 
nity, an incurable wound, a foul leprosy. In 
this state he will be sensible of his want of 
proper feelings towards Grod. His efforts to 
work himself up to a proper regard for his 
Maker are entire failures. His heart refuses 
to do any thing which his conscience declares 
obligatory. He finds his affections all disor- 
dered. He can love his friends, his family, 
his country; but he is amazed to find that he 
cannot love God. His heart is an iceberg for 
coldness, an adamant for hardness, a cage of 
unclean birds for vileness. Sometimes his 
affections seem somewhat enkindled, but they 
do not go forth to his satisfaction. When he 
weeps, it is soon over. His tears seem not to 
flow from a penitent spirit. 

Frequently his external circumstances per- 
plex him. Every thing goes wrong. His at- 
tention is distracted by various calls. Every 
thing seems to conspire against him. To re- 
lease himself is impossible. To obtain help 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 69 

from God is his wish, but he knows not how 
to find him. In reading the Scriptures he 
finds difficulties. Some things are hard to be 
understood. Others, though plain, are in his 
view stern and severe. Against some his 
heart stoutly rebels. Although this alarms 
him, yet his efforts at repressing such wicked 
thoughts are quite unsuccessful. . Things for- 
bidden in God's law he lusts after. For many 
things sinful he finds in himself a longing, 
which seems to himself both strange and un- 
natural. Divine prohibitions seem only to 
inflame his unholy desires. Things command- 
ed he has no heart for. The more he tries to 
control his desires, the more they torment him. 
The law commands ; but his nature, in spite of 
him, leads him into disobedience. Tempta- 
tions are strong, and he is weak. He is a 
helpless captive. All his efforts are in vain. 
His prayers seem to him a mockery. His 
strength is weakness. 

Now his soul is "like the troubled sea, 
when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire 
and dirt." He has no might to do good. He 
cannot still the agitations of his own bosom. 
To peace he is a stranger. He remembers 
God, and is troubled. He has no access to 



70 VITAL GODLINESS." 

the Father of spirits. He says, "Oh that I 
knew where I might find him ; I would come 
nigh to his seat ; I would order my cause be- 
fore him; I would fill my mouth with argu- 
ments." He pleads for mercy and pity. His 
moisture is turned into the drought of summer. 
His bones wax old through his roaring all the 
day long. Day and night God's hand is heavy 
upon him. He forgets to take bread. His 
appetite fails him. His sleep is short and dis- 
turbed. God holds his eyes waking. At mid- 
night he is sometimes heard sighing, or found 
weeping. Or " dry sorrow is drinking up his 
blood." His spirits and energies begin to fail. 
He mourns sore like the dove, and chatters 
like the swallow. He greatly fears that he is 
about to perish in his sins. In real distress he 
says. What shall I do ? What shall I do to be 
saved ? 

"I die with, hunger here, he cries ; 
I starve in foreign lands." 

It seems to him that none pities his case, and 
that God has forgotten to be gracious. Yet he 
chides himself for such unbelief. His impres- 
sion is that his own heart defers the relief he 
needs. 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 71 

"Oil, who can tell wliat days, what nights he spends 
Of tideless, waveless, sailless, shoreless woe ! 

"When thus he Hes, 
Eorlorn of heart, withered and desolate 
As leaf of autumn, which the wolfish winds 
Selecting from its falling sisters, chase 
Far from its native gi'ove, to hfeless wastes, 
And leave it there alone, to be forgotten eternally. " 

To one in this sad state the cheerfulness of 
God's people but brings increase of wretched- 
ness. And the thoughtlessness of the wicked 
but reminds him of the heathenish or brutish 
character of his former life. To exhort him to 
embrace the offered grace of God but dejects 
him. He says, 

*'The promise meets my eye, 
But does not reach my case." 

Sometimes it seems to him that he must 
give up all as lost for ever; but something 
holds him back from utter despair. He is led 
and upheld by an invisible hand. One, of 
whom he has yet no saving knowledge, is deal- 
ing with his soul, and will not let him go. Yet 
he sees no use in all his pains and efforts, for 
every struggle seems to sink him the deeper 
in sin and misery. He wishes his load of sin 
were gone, but it presses harder and harder. 
He is weary of his way, weary of heartless 
efforts, weary of his own want of stability, 



72 VITAL GODLINESS. 

weaiy of his burdens, and sometimes almost 
weary of existence. 

Now if any one is in such a case as this, 
let him turn his longing eyes to the Lamb of 
God, who taketh away the sin of the world. 
Let him look to Jesus, the author and finisher 
of faith, the author of eternal redemption, the 
only physician who can do a sinner good. Let 
sinners come to him. Come and welcome, ye 
perishing. Hospitals are designed for the sick, 
the lame, the mangled, the homeless. Water 
is for the thirsty, bread for the hungry, and a 
couch for the weary. Jesus Christ is the very 
Saviour man needs, and he is exactly suited to 
our wants. He is chosen of God, and precious. 
He was set forth to be the propitiation for our 
sins. He is the one Mediator between God 
and man. To him all the condemned and dy- 
ing should resort. His mission into this world 
was that he might seek and save that which 
was lost. To that end he lived ; to that end he 
died ; to that end he rose again ; to that end he 
intercedes above ; to that end he sends the 
Spirit of all grace to convince the world of sin, 
of righteousness, and of judgment. Should the 
Lord Jesus fail to save sinners, he would lose 
his reward; his sufferings would be without 



A SENSE OF WKETCHEDNESS. 73 

fruit ; nothing would be left him but the shame, 
the spitting, the cross, the spear, the crown of 
thorns, and the total failure of the hope that 
was set before him, when he endured the cross, 
despising the shame. 

WHAT IS IT TO COME TO CHRIST? 

What is faith in him ? How does one feel 
when he lays hold of the Saviour ? 

"Justifying faith is a saving grace wrought 
in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word 
of God, whereby he, being convinced of his 
sin and misery, and of the disability in himself 
and all other creatures to recover him out of 
his lost condition, not only assenteth to the 
truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiv- 
eth and resteth upon Christ and his righteous- 
ness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin and 
for the accepting and accounting of his person 
righteous in the sight of G-od for salvation." 

As a definition, this is full and clear. True 
saving faith receives Christ, and rests on him 
to the exclusion of all other ground of confi- 
dence in the matter of salvation. 

It may aid some minds to have this truth 
illustrated by several figures drawn from Scrip- 
ture. 

vital GodUnoM. 4 



74 VITAL GODLINESS. 

A soul under a sense of its lost conditioE 
may be compared to the dove whicli Noah seni 
out of the ark. It feels itself unhoused, un- 
sheltered, unsupported. It wanders up and 
down, sometimes thinking it sees before it a 
spot where it may rest, but on trial its ex- 
pectations are disappointed. At length, wea- 
ried almost beyond endurance, its false hopes 
all disappointed, its energies enfeebled, its 
spirit humbled, it resolves on seeking the ark. 
It seeks and finds it; and to its great joy the 
spiritual Noah puts forth his hand and takes it 
in. Then for weariness it finds rest, for a 
waste of troubled waters a sure abode, and 
for howling tempests settled quiet. 

Or suppose one out in a vast desert. He 
sees a little cloud rising. At first it gives him 
no apprehensions. But it continues to spread 
and to blacken. It mutters heavy thunders; 
it shoots out its forked lightnings; it seems 
exceedingly angry, and wraps up every thing 
in gloom. Every minute makes it more and 
more manifest that exposure to its peltings 
will be distressing and dangerous. The weary 
traveller looks around for shelter. Sometimes 
he thinks he descries a place of protection. 
He tries it, but finds it will answer no good 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 75 

purpose. He tries another and another; but 
they are all insufficient. Meanwhile his ap- 
prehensions of clanger increase. The storm 
seems ready to rend every thing in its fury. 
Now his eye is directed to a shelter that is 
near him. It seems inviting. It is capacious. 
In it is room for all that will come. It is not 
hedged about nor barred. Jesus says, "Be- 
hold, I have set before thee an open door." It 
is just such a refuge as he needs. Just as he 
supposes the storm is about to pour its fury 
upon him, he runs into this shelter and is safe. 
This newly discovered refuge is Christ. Thus 
* ' a man '' — the divine man Christ Jesus — ' ' shall 
be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a 
covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in 
a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in 
a weary land.'^ Isa. 32 : 2. The man sees this 
place, and wonders that he saw it no sooner. 
It is so near, and so accessible. ''Say not in 
thy heart. Who shall ascend into heaven ? that 
is, to bring Christ down from above ; or who 
shall descend into the deep ? that is, to bring 
up Christ again from the dead. But what 
saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy 
mouth and in thy heart ; that is, the word of 
faith which we preach : that if thou shalt con- 



76 VITAL GODLINESS. 

fess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 
believe in thy heart that God raised him from 
the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10: 6-9. 

But the soul thus affected has many diffi- 
culties. 

The author of ''Quiet Thoughts for Quiet 
Hours" gives the following questions and an- 
swers respecting one in the state just described : 

"How shall I come to G-od, for I am a sin- 
ful creature ? 

"Jesus said, 'I am the way; no man com- 
eth unto the Father but by me.' John 14: 6. 

"But how can I feel sure that Jesus will 
receive me? 

" 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise 
cast out.' John 6 : 37. 

"I have nothing that I can bring to him. 

" ' I will give unto him that is athirst of the 
fountain of the water of life freely.' Rev. 
21:6. 

"But should I not first endeavor to purify 
my soul from sin ? 

"'Who can bring a clean thing out of an 
unclean? not one.' Job 14: 4. ' Without me 
ye can do nothing.' John 15: 5. 

"How then shall I come ? 

" 'By a new and living way, which he hath 



A SENSE OF WKETCHEDNESS. 77 

consecrated for us through the vail, that is to 
say, his flesh.' Heb. 10:20. 

*'Is God sure to receive me ? Can he love 
me? 

" 'I will receive you, and will be a Father 
unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daugh- 
ters, saith the Lord Almighty.' 2 Cor. 6: 18. 

''What should be the object of my life? 

*"Ye are bought with a price; therefore 
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, 
which are God's.' 1 Cor. 6 : 20. 

''Can my unimportant actions in any way 
glorify the everlasting God ? 

'"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye 
bear much fruit.' John 15:8. 

"What do you mean by fruit? 

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 
ness, temperance.' Gal. 5:22, 23. 

"Does God then take notice of my daily 
conduct ? 

"'I know the things that come into your 
mind, every one of them.' Ezek. 11 : 5. 'He 
that planted the ear, shall he not hear ? He 
that formed the eye, shall he not see ? He 
that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not 
know?' Psa. 44:10. 



78 VITAL GODLINESS. 

''I am very ignorant ; who shall instruct me? 

'"Search the Scriptures/ John 5:39. 
'The holy Scriptures, which are able to make 
thee wise unto salvation, through faith which 
is in Christ Jesus.' 2 Tim. 3: 15. 

''But I have so many evil habits to com- 
bat ; what shall I do ? 

'"Grird up the loins of your mind.' 1 Pet. 
1 : 13. 'Fight the good fight of faith.' 1 Tim. 
5:12. 'For he hath said, I will never leave 
thee, nor forsake thee.' Heb. 13: 5. 

"But there are trials and temptations in 
my way which others have not. 

" 'There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as is common to man ; but God is faith- 
ful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that ye are able ; but will with the temptation 
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able 
to bear it.' 1 Cor. 10:13. 

"I wish I had some friend who could un- 
derstand all the trials of my spirit. 

'"We have not a High-priest which can- 
not be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties ; but was in all points tempted like as we 
are, yet without sin.' Heb. 4: 15. 

"It is my desire to walk uprightly, but I 
feel I have no strength. 



A SENSE OF WRETCHEDNESS. 79 

'"He givetli power to the faint, and to them 
that have no might he increaseth strength/ 
Isa. 40:29. 

''May I go and ask him, then? 

'"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask 
of God, that giveth to all men liberally and 
upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.' 
Jas. 1:5. 

' ' How will Grod give me wisdom ? 

"'I will put my Spirit within you, and 
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 
keep my judgments and do them.' Ezek. 
36:27. 

"When trouble comes, what shall I do? 

'"Call upon me in the day of trouble: I 
will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.' 
Psa. 51:15. 

"Need I not fear the hour of death? 

"'When thou passest through the waters I 
will be with thee.' Isa. 40 : 2. 

"Nor the day of judgment? 

'"Who shall lay any thing to the charge 
of God's elect ? It is God that justifieth. Who 
is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died.' 
Rom. 8:33, 34. 

"Oh, I will cast in my lot with God's peo- 
ple, for they only are happy. 



80 VITAL GODLINESS. 



U i 



We are journeying unto the place of 
which the Lord said, I will give it you ; come 
thou with us, and we will do thee good.' 
Num. 10:29. 

'' 'The Lord bless thee, and keep thee ; the 
Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be 
gracious unto thee ; the Lord lift up his coun- 
tenance upon thee, and give thee peace.' Num. 
6:24-26.'' 

Truly it is kind to invite men to Christ. 
Let them come boldly, in the confidence of 
faith, at once, without delay. Well and wise- 
ly did Paul desire that he might ''be found in 
Christ, not having his own righteousness, which 
is of the law, but that which is through the 
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of 
God by faith." Phil. 3 : 9. Only thus can the 
soul be set at liberty. 

If you will come to Christ you shall have 
rest — rest to your souls, however weary, how- 
ever burdened — a holy rest from the servitude 
of sin and Satan — a rest from tormenting fears, 
from corroding cares, from an accusing con- 
science. The unholy quietness of unrenewed 
nature is but the precursor of wrath, as an un- 
usual stillness precedes the earthquake. But 



A SENSE OF WEETCHEDNESS. 81 

the rest of the soul in Christ is like that of the 
Israelites when, after their long journeyings 
and wars and troubles, they were enfeoffed and 
settled in Canaan. 

Vespasian the Eoman emperor gave a 
great reward to a person who came and pro- 
fessed a great love for him. Come to Christ, 
thus proving that you love him, and he will 
give you blessings whose value can never be 
adequately estimated by a finite mind. He 
will receive you. "Him that cometh unto me 
I will in no wise cast out." He will give you 
an indisputable title to imperishable glory. 

Let no one hesitate what choice to make. 
No man can afford to sustain the loss of his 
soul, the loss of the divine favor, the loss of 
the smiles of Christ. Men must be saved in 
him, or they will be ruined for ever. 

You can but die if you come to Christ, and 
you must die if you do not come. Every man 
is naturally like the four leprous men spoken 
of in 2 Kings 7 : 3-11. Let him but arise and 
go trustfully to Christ, and all will be well. 



4* 



82 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CONVICTION— CONVERSION. 

Attention lias been directed to tlie earlier 
stages of religious concern — the first thoughts, 
purposes, temptations, failures, relentings, bur- 
dens, sorrows, and struggles of a soul in its at- 
tempts to flee from the wrath of G-od. It may 
be proper here to make a few general remarks, 
explanatory of what is often the state of a sin- 
ner's mind immediately before conversion. 

He discovers that the Bible is a revealer 
of the secrets of his soul, a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of his heart. He is ready 
to say. Come see a book which hath told me 
all things that ever I did. At such times God's 
word is as a glass, in which a man beholds his 
natural face. It reflects his image, and shows 
him his sad deficiencies and his great deform- 
ity. He finds his heart to be exceedingly de- 
praved. He is convinced that the imagina- 
tions of the thoughts of his heart are only evil 
continually. In this state of mind David com- 
pared his pains to ''broken bones." If you 
have ever had a broken bone, you may have 



CONVICTION— CONVEBSION. 83 

an idea of his meaning. Thoughts of it oc- 
cupy the mind day and night. For a moment 
company may seem to create a diversion of the 
thoughts, but soon they revert to the fractured 
limb. Such a one awaking at a dead hour of 
the night, immediately thinks of the injured 
part. All attempts to shake off reflection con- 
cerning it are fruitless. In another place Da- 
vid says, "My sin is ever before me." His 
mind dwelt upon his transgressions. Like a 
vast army of men, they were continually pass- 
ing in solemn review. In this state of mind, 
one feels that God has a right to have mercy 
on whom he will have mercy, and to have com- 
passion on whom he will have compassion. 
Whatever may be his theory on the subject, 
his heartfelt conviction is, that without wrong 
to him, G-od may withhold all the blessings of 
salvation. Yea, he feels that God would be 
justified in condemning him for ever, and be 
clear in driving him to outer darkness. He 
says, 

" Should sudden vengeance seize my breath, 
X must pronounce thee just in death : 
And if my soul were sent to heU, 
Thy righteous law approves it well." 

Sometimes one in this state is greatly an- 
noyed with wicked and even blasphemous 



84 VITAL GODLINESS. 

thoughts. The object of the tempter seems 
to be, to banish all hope of reconciliation with 
God. It sometimes happens to such a soul as 
to that young man of whom we read, ''And 
as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him 
down and tare him.'' Luke 9 : 42. When his 
prey is about to be taken from him, the old 
lion is greatly enraged. He cannot bear to 
witness the escape of a single soul. 

One thus exercised will discover that the 
belief which he has hitherto had of the Bible 
is unavailing. It has been merely historical, 
cold, and powerless. Or it has been the faith 
of devils, and has merely filled his soul with 
terrors. He now feels the need of a faith which 
is ''of the operation of God." And even in 
the surrender which he is about to make, there 
is so much timidity and such a sense of unwor- 
thiness, that commonly the most he can say is, 
"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." 
Boldness in coming to the throne of grace is 
seldom enjoyed even by young converts. 

One who has advanced thus far will prob- 
ably be more than ever beset by the evil one. 
The Hebrews never fared so hard as just be- 
fore they left Egypt ; and never were so hated 
as after they began to march towards Canaan. 



CONVICTION— CONVERSION. 85 

He is sadly disappointed that the measures he 
has adopted for relief have but sunk him the 
deeper in misery. Like that woman in the 
gospel, he has spent all his substance on phy- 
sicians, and is no better, but worse. Prayer, 
hearing the word, reading, conversation, and 
resolutions have all been found ineffectual, and 
even worse ; they have brought more wrath on 
the soul, because of the sin attending them. 

In this state one might adopt the language 
of the psalmist: "My soul is full of troubles. . . 
I am as a man that hath no strength. . . Thou 
hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in 
the deep. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and 
thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. . . 
I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. . . 
Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction. 
Lord, why castest thou off my soul? Why 
hidest thou thy face from me? Thy terrors 
have cut me off." Psa. 88. He feels that God 
must help him, or he must die in his sins. 
Like Peter sinking, he says, "Lord, save me." 
Or like Hezekiah he exclaims, "Mine eyes 
fail with looking upward. Lord, I am op- 
pressed; undertake for me." Isa. 38 : 14. 

Such a man will grieve because he cannot 
grieve, and mourn because he cannot mourn, 



86 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and weep because he cannot weep. He is 
astonished at his guilt and at his hardness of 
heart. He is convinced that an entire change 
of heart is in his case necessary to happiness 
here and hereafter. He also sees that if he 
shall ever be saved, it must be by an act of 
free, rich, sovereign grace. His boasted abil- 
ity is found to be nothing. His strength is 
weakness. His. merits are now not named. 
He feels that he deserves no good thing. His 
righteousnesses are as filthy rags. He is ready 
to come before the Lord with the language of 
self-condemnation. He feels like Benhadad's 
servants, when they put sackcloth on their 
loins and ropes upon their heads, and went to 
the king of Israel, thus confessing that their 
lives were in his hands and at his mercy. 
1 Kings 20 : 31. 

This state of mind is conviction, which in- 
volves always a sense of five things: sinful- 
ness, guilt, ignorance, helplessness, and misery. 
This conviction is of course not alike pungent 
in all cases ; nor is it necessarily accompa- 
nied with extreme agitations or terrors ; but 
it is a clear view of one's state as demanding 
the remedy provided in the gospel. If the 
work of conviction should proceed, and hope 



CONVICTION— CONVEKSION. 87 

never come to tlie relief of the soul, the result 
would be the impenetrable gloom of despair, 
as in the case of the damned. Let a man see 
his lost estate, and not see the Saviour as he is 
freely offered, and he will be a desperado in 
the government of God. Often the sinner de- 
sires that his convictions may proceed, because 
he looks upon them as punishments for sin — • 
as punishments richly deserved. If he had his 
way, he would not even now come to Christ. 
If he could weep and mourn and grieve and 
be melted as he wishes, he would be satisfied 
without any other atonement than that which 
he could thus make. At least, he would seek 
no other. In all his dealings with him, God's 
plan is to shut him up to the faith of Christ ; 
that through the law he may be dead to the 
law, that he may be married to Christ. 

Ask such a one if he thinks he is under 
conviction, and he will probably reply in the 
negative. His views on that subject are very 
vague and erroneous. Indeed, he has no dis- 
tinct idea of what conviction is, except that he 
believes it is a step towards salvation. He 
thinks he has no such feeling as m anywise 
prepares him for a change. It seems to him 
that he is losing instead of gaining ground. 



88 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The nearer he approaches to salvation, the fur- 
ther does he seem from it. The darkest hour 
is just before day. It was midnight when Pha- 
raoh dismissed Israel. Exod. 12:30, 31. In 
his Almost Christian, Meade gives a salutary 
warning : ' ' Never rest in convictions till they 
end in conversion. This is that wherein most 
men miscarry ; they rest in their convictions, 
and take them for conversion, as if sin seen 
were therefore sin forgiven ; or as if a sight of 
the want of grace were the truth of the work 
of grace. '^ Conviction, however deep or dis- 
tressing, is not saving. This brings us to con- 
sider 

CONVEESION. 

On this subject, let a few things be pre- 
mised. 

1. All conversions are not alike in their 
circumstances, though they produce like re- 
sults. They lead to the forsaking of sin, to 
the acceptance of Christ, to holiness of life, 
and finally to glory. But the steps by which 
this is done are various. Some conversions 
are extraordinary, as that of the thief on the 
cross and that of Saul of Tarsus. Even in 
ordinary conversions there is a great variety. 
Some are sudden, some are gradual, some are 



CONVICTION— CONVEBSION. 89 

preceded by many terrors, some are marked 
by extraordinary views of the tenderness of 
God. No one therefore will here expect an 
account of the peculiar exercises of any one 
person, but rather such statements as may suit 
most cases of ordinary experience. 

2. Nor will the reader expect an account 
of the manner in which the Spirit of God oper- 
ates on the heart. No man has this informa- 
tion. Of course an attempt to give it is pre- 
sumptuous. Solomon says, ''Thou knowest not 
the way of the Spirit." Eccl. 11:5. Paul says, 
"What man knoweth the things of a man, save 
the spirit of man which is in him ? even so the 
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit 
of God." 1 Cor. 2 :11. God has not informed 
us how he operates in any matter; but his 
methods of proceeding are wisely and necessa- 
rily concealed from human ken. So our Sav- 
iour clearly taught, John 3:8. 

3. If what has been said be true, then in 
speaking on the subject of conversion, the great- 
est modesty becomes us, lest we should hastily 
lay down principles which might on the one 
hand discourage some of the true children of 
God, or on the other, encourage false hopes in 
those who are aliens from the commonwealth 



90 VITAL GODLINESS. 

of Israel. To guard against both these ex- 
tremes is no easy task. Many ignorant per- 
sons are forward in such matters. But let us 
distrust ourselves where we have not a '' Thus 
saith the Lord" to guide us. Let no man lay 
down any thing as essential, unless in his word 
God has made it so. 

4. It is not uncommon for one to think, 
that if he shall obtain relief, it will be in some 
particular manner, such as he has devised in 
his own mind, or heard of in the case of others. 
One under conviction is ready to fall into su- 
perstitious imaginings. But when the Lord 
intends to grant deliverance, he, will save from 
fatal delusions. Naaman had a plan of being 
cured of leprosy ; but his was not God's plan. 
Conversion is always different from the conjec- 
tures of a carnal heart. It is well it is so. 
The Scriptures fairly teach us so. Isa. 42 : 16. 

When the soul is duly humbled in its own 
eyes — when it has renounced self-will and self- 
righteousness, and despaired of helping itself, 
and God's Spirit is savingly at work, some 
glimpses of Christ are afforded. The soul has 
a desire to lay hold on him, but unbelief is too 
strong for reason or for conviction to cure. 
The soul now sees, approves, and accepts some 



CONVICTION— CONVEESION. 91 

of the truths of the gospel in a way it never 
did before. It gets some glimpses of Him who 
is the way, the truth, and the life. The clouds 
begin to break, and a star of hope appears ; 

"It is the Spirit's rising beam." 

As the natural sun does not from midnight 
darkness in a moment burst upon the world, 
so in most cases the Sun of righteousness rises 
gradually upon the soul. "His going forth is 
prepared as the morning." At first, he who 
has been sore troubled is comforted by his new 
discoveries. Hope begins to gild his path, and 
he is for a time relieved of a great burden. 
But often this state of mind does not last long, 
and he begins to fear that his deep impressions 
are leaving him. He is alarmed to find him- 
self becoming cheerful. He tries to recover 
his painful feelings, but often fails. Sometimes 
he has his wish, and then his soul drinks in the 
wormwood. He then cries anew to the Lord 
for mercy, and the light of God's countenance 
begins to shine upon him more fully and clearly. 
He may soon be more than ever at a loss re- 
specting the work of grace within him. He 
cannot be sad as he was, because the Lord is 
making him joyful. He is afraid to rejoice, 
except with trembling, for his soul has not for- 



92 VITAL GODLINESS. 

gotten his late experience. An interruption of 
the pleasant view of divine things he had en- 
joyed awakens great desires for its return. 
But to regain lost comforts is not always easy. 
Once gone, the soul fears lest it has offended 
God by not more highly prizing them. But 
when the light returns, it is commonly with 
increased brightness. Thus light and dark- 
ness often alternate, until at length the soul is 
brought to a more settled peace. Fears no 
longer prevail. Hope is in the ascendant. 
The soul sees salvation flowing from the cross 
of Christ, and begins to apprehend the spiritual 
import of such phrases as, "through Christ," 
"in Christ Jesus," "by Jesus Christ," "in the 
name of Christ." The plan of redemption now 
delights him, though his views are very imper- 
fect ; yet he wishes no other prophet, priest, 
or king than the Lord Jesus. He rests upon 
him alone for salvation. He trusts the whole 
weight of his soul on Him who bled and died 
on Calvary. 

Were you to ask him whether he supposed 
he was converted, he would probably say, No. 
Yet he thinks he is getting into the right way. 
Or perhaps he would say, "I do not know 
whether I am converted or not j but one thing 



CONVICTION— CONVEKSION. 93 

I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. 
Behold, all things are become new." He looks 
on time and eternity, sin and holiness, truth 
and error, the Bible, the Saviour, the pious, 
the world, life and death, things present and 
things to come, in a new light. In particular, 
he is pleased with the fulness, freeness, power, 
kindness, and glory of Christ. He loves and 
admires the Saviour for what he is, for what 
he was, for what he shall be, for what he has 
done, for what he is doing, and for what he 
shall yet do to save perishing men. He loves 
what Christ loves, and hates what Christ hates. 
He can look back a short time, when such and 
such portions of Scripture were brought home 
to his soul with power and sweetness. He is 
greatly surprised and mortified at a review of 
his past life. He wonders with unutterable 
wonder how he could have remained in sin so 
long. And then he weeps tears of joy and 
gratitude that He who made him has had mercy 
on him. 

The peace now found is solely in the merit 
of Christ. The soul wholly rejects all thoughts 
of salvation by another. The gospel way is so 
honorable to Grod and so safe for the sinner — ■ 
it so perfectly satisfies the demands of the law 



04 VITAL GODLINESS. 

for a perfect satisfaction and a perfect right- 
eousness, that the most enlightened sinner says, 
Here I end my quest; I need no other Sav- 
iour ; now by faith I enter into rest. 

In the same way the soul obtains purity. 
Grod has inseparably united pardon and purity, 
justification and sanctification. No man is freed 
from Grod's displeasure without being cleansed 
in his own nature also. Only this difference 
should be noted: pardon and acceptance are 
perfect at once; purification is gradual and 
progressive. 

When the soul is thus sheltered in Christ, 
how pleasant it is to consider that this is of old 
the hiding-place of the penitent; that on this 
refuge, two thousand years ago, beat the aw- 
ful tempest of G-od's wrath ; but even at the 
height of the storm, the dying thief here found 
shelter and salvation. The soul that is thus in 
Christ cannot perish. It was weary and heavy- 
laden ; it has now found rest. It was exposed 
and doomed ; it is shielded and saved. ' 

Such a soul would gladly recommend Christ 
to others. He wishes that all might know him 
and find refuge in him. His spirit is tender 
and benevolent. "When the Holy Ghost de- 
scended upon the Son of God, he borrowed not 



CONVICTION— CONVEESION. 95 

the semblance of a bird of pre}^, but of the 
mourning and tender dove." And when he 
now descends to ' ' stamp his image on the heart, 
the impression which he leaves is not that of 
fierceness or bitterness,* but of gentleness, ten- 
derness, and good will to all men." To such 
the Sanctifier becomes the Comforter. ''As 
the dove conveyed to Noah's ark the intelli- 
gence of the subsiding of the waters, so will, 
the heavenly Dove convey to the soul the glad 
tidings that the tempest of eternal wrath no 
longer sweeps over her path." Every soul 
that comes to Christ receives the earnest of 
the Spirit. Terror has given way to heav- 
enly peace ; fear has yielded to hope ; distress 
has been succeeded by tranquillity; darkness 
has fled before the brightness of the rising of 
the Sun of righteousness. 

As to the question whether a man knows 
the time of his conversion, it may be stated 
that some have known it. The thief on the 
cross, Zaccheus, the jailer, Paul, and the three 
thousand converted on the day of Pentecost, 
evidently knew the time of their great change. 
So in modern times men may be able to point 
out the day of the happy saving change. If 
so, very well. But it should be observed, that 



96 VITAL GODLINESS. 

many who think they know the time are mis- 
taken. This is true of those boasting hypo- 
crites who never were converted at all, as their 
wicked lives show. It is also true that many 
humble, diffident persons had met with a sav- 
ing change long before they ceased to write 
bitter things against themselves, or ventured 
to cherish the hope that they had already 
passed from death unto life. 

Let not any who know not the time of their 
conversion be cast down, if they now have 
evidence that they do truly love the Lord Je- 
sus, if they now keep his commandments. It 
is nowhere said in the Bible, ye must know the 
time of your conversion ; but it is said. Ye must 
be born again. The change, not the time of 
its occurrence, is the essential thing. If we 
pass from death unto life by the power of Grod's 
Spirit, it cannot endanger our salvation to be 
in doubt or in ignorance of the time when that 
happ3^ event occurred. 

Again, one must judge of his own state by 
the fruit he bears ; and fruit that is ripe in an 
hour will perhaps be rotten as soon. A godly 
life is the infallible evidence of conversion. 
When our fruit is- unto holiness, we know that 
the end shall be everlasting life. Every one 



CONVICTION— CONVEESION. 97 

who hopes that he is converted to God should 
examine himself and prove his own work, and 
then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone, 
and not in another. In judging of piety, there 
is no substitute for a holy life. The great 
peculiarity of God's people is that they are 
"zealous of good works. '^ Jn spring many a 
tree is covered with beautiful blossoms, which 
are not in autumn followed by any good fruit. 
We are Christ's disciples if we do whatsoever 
he commands us. We are the servants of the 
wicked one if we do the works of the flesh. 
We may boast of discoveries, of raptures, and 
ecstacies, but all is in vain if a consistent life 
be not the result. So that many who say that 
they know the time and place of their conver- 
sion are unquestionably deceived. 

Whether a man knows the fact of his con- 
version is a matter that admits of similar re- 
marks. If any knows that he is converted, let 
him be humble, not proud. If God has favor- 
ed him with unusually bright evidences, let 
him not despise his brethren who are in pain- 
ful doubt about their state. Humility is an 
excellent virtue. There is indeed a sense in 
which a man cannot be converted without 
knowing it: namely, he cannot undergo any 

Vitel Godllnese. 5 



98 VITAL GODLINESS. 

change in his views and affections without be- 
ing conscious of the exercises and emotions of 
his mind and heart thus changed. But surely 
one may have the exercises of a new-born soul 
without knowing that these are the exercises 
of a renewed nature. The miser knows what 
passes in his own mind, but he does not know 
these things prove him a wretch. The self- 
conceited man is conscious of all his mental 
exercises, but is far from seeing that they 
mark him out as a poor weak creature. So 
the convert cannot know that his views and 
feelings prove him a child of God until he is 
correctly informed by the Bible what consti- 
tutes piety. So that a man must first search 
the Scriptures to see what they require to 
prove piety, and then search himself to see 
whether he has what is thus required by Grod's 
word. The result of such examination may be 
satisfactory. If so, a good foundation is laid 
for permanent peace of mind. 

In corroboration of this view, it may be 
stated that with cautious minds nothing is 
harder than to believe as one wishes. With 
what difficulty did the disciples believe that 
Christ was risen from the dead. Luke 24:41. 
How often do we hear the saying. The news is 



CONVICTION— CONVEESION. 99 

too good to be believed. It was so witli the 
Jews released from Babylon: ''When the Lord 
turned again the captivity of Zion, we were 
like them that dream." Psa. 126 : 1. Should 
any say, Is it possible for one to have his chains 
taken off, the prison doors opened, himself 
brought out and set free, and he not know it ? 
the answer is, Yes. This may be done liter- 
ally and corporeally. Peter was sleeping in 
prison between two soldiers, and bound with 
two chains, when the angel of the Lord smote 
him on the side and awaked him. His chains 
then fell off, and he girded himself, and put on 
his sandals, and cast his garment about him, 
and followed the angel, as he was bid to do. 
And yet Peter ' ' wist not that it was true which 
was done by the angel ; but thought he saw a 
vision." Nor did he come to himself, nor was 
he satisfied of his deliverance until they were 
past the first and second ward, until they had 
passed the iron gate which led unto the city, 
and which opened to them of its own accord, 
and until they had passed through one street, 
and the angel had departed from him. Acts 
12 : 6-11. Here we have a man going through 
the entire process of being awaked out of sleep, 
of hearing the angel's words, of dropping his 



100 VITAL GODLINESS. 

chains, of girding himself, of putting on his 
sandals, of throwing his garment about him, 
and following the angel, and yet doubting the 
reality of the whole matter. The release was 
so marvellous that he could not believe it true. 
Much more then may a soul be brought out of 
its prison-house, have the chains of its terrible 
condemnation removed, come out of darkness 
into the marvellous light of the gospel, and yet 
doubt whether the change is not an illusion, a 
phantom, a dream. He says, ''But yesterday 
I was a wretched outcast, a child of wrath, 
forlorn and guilty. Can I now be a child of 
Grod, an heir of glory, with my sins all par- 
doned, and myself accepted and regenerated ? 
It cannot be so. The thought is too pleasant 
to be indulged.'' He who is truly enlightened 
and converted has had his eyes opened to see 
the exceeding excellence and importance of 
divine things, and if he is to be assured of his 
interest in them, he must have solid grounds 
of hope. 

If any ask for the infallible signs of a sav- 
ing change, a sound conversion, we must again 
refer them to a godly life. But there are some 
very strong points in which a genuine conver- 
sion is always distinguished from a spurious 



CONYICTION— CONVEKSION. 101 

change. Guthrie notices three particulars in 
which all are deficient unless they are real 
Christians : 

''1. They are not broken in their hearts, 
and emptied of their righteousness. 

"2. They never took up Christ Jesus as 
the only treasure and jewel that can enrich 
and should satisfy,, and therefore have never 
cordially agreed to God's device in the cove- 
nant, and so are not worthy of him, neither 
has the kingdom of God savingly entered into 
their heart: 'The kingdom of heaven is like 
unto a treasure hid in the field ; the which 
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for 
joy thereof selleth all that he hath, and buyeth 
that field.' 

''3. They never in earnest closed with 
Christ's whole yoke without exception, judg- 
ing all his will just and good, holy and spirit- 
ual, and therefore no rest followed on them by 
Christ: 'Take my yoke upon you, and ye shall 
find rest unto your souls.' " 

If any thing else needs to be added, it is 
that the self-deceived are as much like Chris- 
tians at the first as at the last. They do not 
grow in grace, for they have none. They may 
increase in outward manifestations and profes- 



102 VITAL GODLINESS. 

sions, but never in a godlike temper. " True 
grace is a growing principle.'^ 

Where conversion is genuine, it will prove 
itself more and more. Especially do the Scrip- 
tures insist much on the possession of a child- 
like temper and disposition. Thus a little child 
is humble. The child of the king and of the beg- 
gar, left to themselves, would meet on the same 
level and freely mingle together. So the true 
convert has such a sense of his own vileness 
that he readily esteems others better than him- 
self. A proud Christian is a contradiction. 

In like manner he is meek. So far as he 
is like Christ, he is not disposed to strive, or 
cry, or lift up, or cause his voice to be heard 
in the streets. He is not boisterous nor clam- 
orous nor contentious. To this his previous 
training has brought him. God has dealt with 
him as he has, that he may remember and be 
confounded, and never open his mouth any 
more because of his shame, when the Lord is 
pacified towards him for all that he has done. 
His soul is even as a weaned child. Ezekiel 
16:23; Psa. 131:2. 

So also a child is teachable. It is not in- 
flated with self-conceit. It claims not to be 
wise in things it knows nothing of, but sits at 



CONVICTION— CONVEESION. 103 

the feet of teachers and learns its lessons. So 
the true convert sits at the feet of Jesus and 
learns from him the lessons of heavenly wis- 
dom. God's word binds his conscience, but 
he calls no man master. None is more free 
from drinking in notions and forming opinions 
without good cause, but on the veracity of God 
he rests with entire confidence. 

In the same spirit a child looks to its par- 
ent for protection, for food and raiment, and 
for comfort in distress. So the child of God 
casts his care upon an almighty arm, hides 
himself under the shadow of the Lord's wings, 
and trusts him for all. He calls upon the Lord. 
''Behold, be prayeth.'^ It is not more natural 
for a living child to breathe than it is for a liv- 
ing Christian to pray. 

Little children must also obey their father. 
So all true converts sincerely and heartily do 
the will of God. Neither fancy nor pleasure 
nor habit nor convenience nor ease nor pub- 
lic opinion, but God's known will must be our 
guide. After conversion it is our guide. Ev- 
ery true convert says, "Lord, what wilt thou 
have me to do ?" 

"Faith must obey her Father's will, 
As well as trust his word. " 



104 VITAL GODLINESS. 

He who has met with such a change shall 
not perish, but shall enter into the kingdom ot 
heaven. No power in heaven will hinder him, 
and no power in earth or in hell can hinder 
him in achieving a final victory. Speaking of 
such, Paul says, ''I am persuaded that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to 
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other 
creature, shall be able to separate us from the 
love of Grod, which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord." Eom. 8 : 38, 39. 

The change thus described is essential to 
salvation. Unless we are turned from sin to 
holiness, iniquity will be our ruin. We are 
naturally sunk down into sin; yet "without 
holiness no man shall see the Lord.'' It is only 
by a sound conversion that we acquire any 
genuine Christian virtue. This is a very sol- 
emn and weighty truth. It should alarm the 
wicked. It should make all men diligent in 
working out their salvation with fear and trem- 
bling. He who is to be the final Judge of 
quick and dead has said, * ' Except ye be con- 
verted, and become as little children, ye can- 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Here 
is something declared to be absolutely neces- 



CONVICTION— CONVEKSION. 105 

sary. Less wealth, less public honor, less 
pleasure, less health than men now possess 
may fall to their lot, and yet they attain to 
the highest end of existence. A dying man 
called his son to him, and said, '' Hold your 
finger in the blaze of that candle for one min- 
ute.'^ The son refused. Then said the father, 
''Do you refuse to hold your finger there for 
one minute for me? and I, because I have 
spent my life in heaping up riches for you, 
shall endure the flames of hell for ever." Men 
must be converted. Without that great change 
they are eternally undone. There is no safety 
out of Christ. There is no salvation without 
turning to the Lord. Personal dignity, natu- 
ral amiability, official sanctity will save no 
man. 



5* 



106 VITAL GODLINESS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

CASES OF KELIGIOUS DISTKESS. 

It is not uncommon for persons to have 
some experience in religion which is highly 
unsatisfactory to themselves. They have dis- 
tressing and prevailing apprehensions that they 
have never closed in with Christ; nor has a 
good hope through grace ever filled their hearts 
to overflowing with joy and peace; and yet 
they are not careless on the subject. At times 
they are deeply exercised and sore vexed. 
The case of such calls for the tenderest con- 
cern of those who care for souls, as well as the 
liveliest interest on their own part. Their 
views of their lost and undone condition are 
not too strong. Their hearts are as unclean, 
their guilt is as great, their enemies as numer- 
ous as they have ever supposed them to be. 
They are beset with difficulties. They see the 
way, but are unable to walk in it. They ap- 
prove but do not relish the things that are 
more excellent. Their hopes are crossed ; their 
souls are grieved. 

To meet such cases in all their variety is a 



KELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 107 

binding and difficult part of ministerial duty. 
To state all the shades of grief and temptation 
is not possible. But there are general princi- 
pies of religion which are more or less suited 
to many cases. Besides, religious biography 
has shed much light on this whole subject. It 
is greatly to the relief of many minds to find 
that no temptations have befallen them but 
such as are common to men. 

Sometimes one is full of fears lest he may 
have committed the unpardouable sin. ISTot 
unfrequently this apprehension is distressingly 
impressed on the mind by means of some por- 
tion of Scripture. Often will you hear cited 
that text, "For ye know that afterward, when 
he would have inherited the blessing, he was 
rejected ; for he found no place of repentance, 
though he sought it carefully with tears." 
Heb. 12:17. 

As this is a very important case, and often 
causes deep anguish of mind, it should not be 
lightly dismissed. Some have thought that 
the unpardonable sin could not be committed 
since miracles have ceased. But the Scrip- 
tures will not bear out such a statement. It is 
true the sin was no doubt often committed 
when the truth was visibly demonstrated by 



108 VITAL GODLINESS. 

undeniable signs and wonders. But it may 
also be committed when these miracles have 
passed away. 

Others have thought that, though the sin 
may possibly be committed in our day, yet the 
cases in which this is actually done are very 
few. Whatever definition is commonly given 
of this sin, this opinion seems to be without 
good foundation. Sound writers are pretty 
well agreed that the unpardonable sin is an 
act of one who is much enlightened and at the 
same time highly malicious against Grod. Light 
and malice are both essential to its existence. 
The light here spoken of respects spiritual 
things. The malice is directed against the 
person, work or offices of the Holy Ghost. 
Thus by the power of the Holy Grhost, which 
was given him without measure, Jesus Christ 
wrought miracles. The Jews, who beheld 
these wonders, knew that they could be the 
product of none but divine power. But they 
so hated the Lord Jesus that they ascribed his 
miracles to a Satanic influence, and thus com- 
mitted the sin which hath never forgiveness, 
neither in this world, nor in that which is to 
come. Matt. 12:22-32. 

If this view be correct, it follows that no 



BELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 109 

reason can be given why this sin may not be 
committed in this day. We may not have all 
the occasions for its commission which the Jews 
of Christ's day had; but we never lack occa- 
sions when we have dispositions to commit this 
kind of sin. Indeed, as the present is an age 
when the light of truth in many pla(|^s shines 
very clearly, and as the minds- of many thus 
enlightened seem very bitter and malicious 
against religion, it is to be feared that many 
commit this sin. Some have thought that 
there never was an age when the unpardon- 
able sin was more common. But this cannot 
be proved. Yet in wonderful displays of 
grace and mercy in revivals of religion, how 
many who witness the most affecting scenes, 
and are themselves powerfully wrought upon, 
do yet harden their hearts until they even 
scoff at sacred things, laugh at the work of the 
Spirit, and call all vital religion fanaticism and 
the work of Satan. If such have the light 
which in many cases they profess to have, how 
does their case differ from that of the Pharisees 
when they saw Christ's miracles? In many 
ways men may commit the unpardonable sin ; 
so that he who would not sin beyond forgive- 
ness, must take heed how he trifles with holy 



110 VITAL GODLINESS. 

things. This thought should produce in men a 
salutary alarm. 

As to the question whether a distressed 
soul has actually committed this sin, it is 
proper to enter into several inquiries. Let 
one thus distressed look at the state of mind in 
which hqydid that act which he now fears was 
the unpardonable sin. Was it done wilfally, 
spitefully, knowingly? Did he intend to re- 
nounce God's Spirit for ever ? To explain a 
little. Peter denied his Master, knowing that 
he was thus uttering falsehood. But he did it 
through fear of man, and not through malice 
against Christ. Therefore his denial of Christ 
was not the unpardonable sin. On the other 
hand, Saul persecuted the church maliciously. 
He breathed out threatenings and slaughter. 
He was exceeding mad against all Christians. 
But he did all this "ignorantly in unbelief." 
He knew not what he was doing. Therefore 
his zeal against Christians was not the unpar- 
donable sin. But if Peter had, together with 
his knowledge of the matter, denied his Lord 
with the malice with which Saul persecuted 
the church ; or if Saul, with all his malice, had 
persecuted the church with the knowledge with 
which Peter denied his Lord, then in either 



RELIGIOUS DISTRESS. Ill 

case the unpardonable sin would probably have 
been committed. Therefore let any one who 
fears his guilt in this matter, ask himself if the 
deed which brings such terror to his mind was 
accompanied with this light and malice. . If 
not, there is no evidence that the soul has sin- 
ned beyond repentance. 

Again, let one inquire what state of mind 
followed the act that creates such apprehen- 
sions. Was it "a certain fearful looking for 
of judgment?" Did the door of hope seem to 
be quite closed ? Did the desire of reconcilia- 
tion with Grod fully leave the soul ; or was the 
dreadful act followed by utter insensibility, 
stupidity, and a seared conscience ? Did you 
become wholly indifferent to salvation ? Did 
you have no wish to be made pure and holy, 
humble and penitent? Such desires are not 
given to the Grod-forsaken. He who has com- 
mitted this sin never after hungers and thirsts 
after righteousness. Such a state of mind 
shows that the Holy Spirit has not finally de- 
serted the soul. Good desires are as truly 
from heaven as any other good thing ever 
enjoyed. 

It is proper to add, that unworthy partak- 
ing of the Lord's supper, unless done with 



112 VITAL GODLINESS. 

despite to the Spirit of grace and with con- 
tempt of all sacred things, cannot be proven 
to be the unpardonable sin. Although unwor- 
thy communion is a sin to be repented of, yet 
it may be and often has been forgiven. 

It is doubtless sometimes in our power to 
know when one has sinned beyond forgiveness. 
This is implied in the words of John: "If any 
man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto 
death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life 
for them that sin not unto death. There is a 
sin unto death ; I do not say that he shall pray 
for it." 1 John 5:16. Yet we should use 
great caution in such a matter. Some one 
expressed the belief that Bunyan had commit- 
ted this sin. This statement had an exceed- 
ingly dreadful effect on his mind for a while ; 
but God would not let him perish, and made 
him a chosen vessel in his church. Yet cases 
may occur in which good men will feel no lib- 
erty in praying for an offender. The number 
of such is larger than some suppose. 

The last remark on this point is, that if you 
desire salvation through the blood of Christ 
and by the power of the Holy Ghost, it is clear 
that God has not given you up, though your 
sins may be both numerous and aggravated. 



EELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 113 

The air we breathe, the water we drink, is 
not more free than is gospel grace. The cry 
is, ''Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to 
the waters, and he that hath no money, come 
ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and 
milk, without money and without price." Isa. 
65:1. 

Another state of mind, accompanied with 
great depression and much difficulty, is where 
one stoutly argues from his own wickedness of 
heart that his salvation is impossible. A man 
sometimes says, *' I would go to Christ, but he 
is so holy and I am so sinful; he is spotless, 
and I am all pollution and guilt." In dealing 
with one thus afflicted, several things may be 
said. One is, that evil imaginations are the 
natural product of the carnal mind. ''Out of 
the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adul- 
teries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blas- 
phemies." Matt. 15 : 19. There is no form of 
wickedness too strange or dreadful for an un- 
sanctified heart. He who now complains so 
bitterly of his corrupt thoughts and affections, 
is not a worse mUn than he was formerly, but 
God is teaching him how wicked he has been. 
The great difference between present and past 
states of mind is this, that now the man sees 



114 VITAL GODLINESS. 

how vile Ms heart is, whereas once he took no 
notice of the swarms of evil thoughts which 
passed through his breast. The present is not 
the only sinful state to be repented of. The 
prayer should ascend, "Remember not against 
me the sins of my youth ; make me not to pos- 
sess the iniquities of former years. '^ It may 
also be stated that the exercises of such a one 
may now be less criminal than formerly, and 
this for two reasons. One is, that he now offers 
a sincere though inadequate resistance to evil 
thoughts, whereas formerly he welcomed them. 
Another is, that from his manifest distress at 
them, it is evident that they are the tempta- 
tions of the wicked one. We are guilty in so 
far as we entertain the suggestions of the wick- 
ed one, and not merely because we are made 
to feel the anno^^ances of his temptations. But 
grant that any man's heart is far worse than it 
ever was before, or than he even now sees it 
to be, this is a good reason for applying to 
Christ. It is no reason for staying away from 
him. When one sees the wickedness of his 
own heart, it is evident that^God has not yet 
delivered him up to ruin, for he is showing 
him his sins. These heart troubles show that 
nothing short of a thorough, internal, powerful 



RELIGIOUS DISTRESS. 115 

change of nature can ever fit the soul for the 
abodes of the blessed in heaven. And this 
very corruption, so much lamented, should be 
a powerful argument for making speedy appli- 
cation to Christ for pardon and peace, for rec- 
onciliation and purification. But from such a 
state of mind to conclude that one may not 
come to Christ and plead for mercy is wholly 
unscriptural. It is entirely opposed to the 
gospel ofi'er. This very state of mind and 
heart calls for the interposition of almighty 
power and amazing grace ; and to exercise 
these is the delight of the redeeming Son of 
God. Though one be more vile than tongue 
can express — though the heart be a sink of sin, 
a fountain of iniquity, yet he may safely trust 
his cause with Jesus Christ. He came to set 
at liberty them that are bruised, to give life to 
the perishing, and salvation to the lost. Let 
every soul be persuaded to come to Jesus 
Christ. 

He who thus complains of the wickedness 
of his heart, may the next hour complain that 
he has no just sense of his great sinfulness in 
the sight of God. This state of mind is not 
inconsistent with that last spoken of, though 
an ignorant person might so think. One rea- 



116 VITAL GODLINESS. 

son why many a sinner is desirous of seeing 
more of his wickedness, is that he thinks there 
is some merit or profit in having distressing 
views of his undone condition. But this is sure- 
ly a mistake. There is no more merit in a bad 
man seeing his vileness, than there is in a good 
man seeing his own uprightness. But suppose 
a man should see the worst of his case, and 
view his depravity as Grod views it, would it 
not drive him to despair ? With the clearest 
views of the fulness and freeness of Christ ever 
attained on earth, it would probably be impos- 
sible to keep any man from giving up all hope 
if he saw his sins in all their guilt and number, 
baseness and aggravations. God is therefore 
very merciful in permitting* us to see enough 
of our lost condition to make the gospel offer 
glad tidings to us ; but he is no less merciful 
in withholding such views of our sins as would 
drive us to despair. And if any one would 
have a clearer and more salutary view of his 
own wickedness, let him repent of all the sin 
he sees chargeable to him and obtain pardon 
through the blood of Christ, and in due season 
his wish shall be gratified. No man will make^ 
very rapid and profitable attainments in the 
knowledge of his own wickedness until he has 



RELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 117 

fled to Christ, and in good earnest begun the 
work of "mortifying his members which are« 
upon the earth. ^' Col. 3:5. In good earnest 
begin this work, and you will soon find that 
you are carnal, sold under sin, and that all 
former views of your lost estate were very 
defective. 

Another distressing state is- where there is 
a continual tendency in the mind to despair. 
Satan would have all men presumptuous or 
desperate. In the human heart are many ele- 
ments which favor his designs. The language 
of perfect despair is, "There is no mercy for 
me ; others may be saved, but my case is pe- 
culiar ; my soul is lost." But there are vari- 
ous degrees of hopelessness, or of tendency 
towards it. To drive away all hope, Satan 
often greatly terrifies one by a view of his 
sins, points him to the holiness and inflexible 
justice of God, and tells him that he ought to 
know that with such a God there is no mercy 
for him. He reminds him of the length of 
time he has been seeking the Lord, and has 
not found him. He reminds him of others who 
in less time have attained a comfortable hope 
and settled peace. These and many other 
things does the adversary urge, that he may 



118 VITAL GODLINESS. 

cut off all hope and leave the soul palsied with 
despondency. Sometimes he has fatal success. 
Sometimes he but harasses it for a season, and 
then follows deliverance. When he succeeds 
entirely, the soul becomes stubborn, hardened, 
and fearfully rebellious ; and a less degree of 
the temptation of the adversary may be highly 
injurious for the time. When the prisoner of 
hope becomes the prisoner of despair, he is 
gone ; and when he sees things in a very 
gloomy light, he may be sore vexed. 

Let all who are tempted to despair well 
weigh the following things : Unbelief is the 
only sin by which a hearer of the gospel will 
seal his own ruin, and despair is the perfection 
of unbelief. To refuse to rely upon Christ's 
finished work is to reject the sinner's only 
hope. Unbelief is a great sin. The greater 
its power, the greater our guilt. As despair 
is unbelief consummated, it is superlative wick- 
edness. If any man fears sin, let him chiefly 
fear this sin. It takes hold on destruction. 
No man can be justified or sanctified in whose 
heart this principle of pride, darkness, and 
stubbornness reigns. There may be a volun- 
tary humility in despair, but that is only an- 
other name for pride. Despair also goes upon 



KELIGIOUS DISTKESS. 119 

the ground that men are saved either by their 
own deservings, or because they have not 
greatly offended, and thus it excludes the sal- 
vation of the gospel, which is for the chief of 
sinners. And despair is full of stubbornness. 
What is a greater sin than to refuse to trust 
God when he bids us believe him ; to decline 
to lean upon him when he extends to us his 
hand ? We cannot have too low an opinion of 
ourselves, or too high an opinion of Christ. 
"It is the great design of the Scriptures to 
teach the best to despair of being self-saved ; 
the worst not to despair of being saved by 
Christ," and to offer to all the help they want." 

The foregoing are examples of the distresses 
and difi&culties which often beset a soul in its 
endeavors to turn to the Lord. There are 
many cases like them. And there are others 
of an extraordinary kind, which cannot be an- 
ticipated. If any man is overcome by the ad- 
versary in these matters, the fault is his own. 
He has procured these things to himself. Such 
fruits never grow but in depraved hearts. For 
the direction of such as are truly desirous of 
being guided in the right way, the following 
suggestions may be profitable. 

Beware of a spirit of impatience towards 



120 VITAL GODLINESS. 

God. With yourself you cannot be too much 
dissatisfied, until you believe in Christ and 
cease from sin. But with Grod and his ways 
yju have no right to find fault. He is right- 
eous altogether. Every sentiment of impa- 
tience towards him is highly criminal. During 
long years of rebellion, Grod waited on you for 
your return ; and will you not let him judge 
the fittest time to grant you the light of his 
countenance and the joy of his salvation ? ' ' I 
waited patiently for the Lord ; and he inclined 
unto me, and heard my cry.'' Psa. 40 : 1. 
God will not be dictated to. Impatience is 
both a sin and a hinderance. It speeds no de- 
liverance. It must be laid aside* 

Be not asking the advice of many in your 
sore perplexities. One good adviser is worth a 
thousand who know nothing thoroughly. And 
yet the most weak are often the most ready to 
proffer their services. The man of your coun- 
sel in all religious doubts and trials should be 
God's precious word. Human advisers are 
apt to say, "Lo, here is Christ;" and again, 
'*Lo, there is Christ." But the Bible always 
speaks a uniform, consistent language. It 
always points to one star, that of Bethlehem ; 
to one garden, that of Gethsemane; to one 



EELIGIOUS DISTBESS. 121 

sacrifice, that of Calvary; to one sepulchre, 
that of Joseph of Arimathea. 

Believe not that your convictions are too 
deep and too strong ever to leave you. They 
are perhaps not stronger than those of Felix 
when he trembled, of Herod when he heard 
John and did many things gladly, of Ahab 
when he humbled himself, or of king Saul 
when he lifted up his voice and wept. Con- 
viction is not a saving grace. It is itself no 
pledge of salvation. It may leave one mid- 
way between carelessness and conversion, just 
as Lot's wife was left between Sodom and Zoar. 
If your convictions do not lead to Christ, and 
that speedily, you may become familiar with 
them, and their effect be lost upon you. Con- 
viction is not conversion. Conviction can save 
no man. 

Misconceive not the terms of salvation. 
On this point there is much danger. Be spe- 
cially guarded that you do not attempt to sub- 
stitute your own distress of mind for the suffer- 
ings of Christ. Sin is neither pardoned nor 
expelled by the anguish of any sinful worm. 
The more distressed men are, the stouter is 
their continued rebellion. Your own suffer- 
ings, in this world or the next, cannot save you. 

Vim GodllneBS, 6 



122 VITAL GODLINESS. 

No tears, no blood, no cross, no death, no in- 
tercession but those of Christ can avail for any. 
Never lose sight of the blessed truth, that 
salvation is wholly by grace, through faith in 
Christ Jesus. 

Guard against false hopes. If the adver- 
sary sees you determined not to live without 
hope, he will earnestly endeavor to persuade 
you to build upon the sand ; to lead you into 
mistakes respecting the nature of true conver- 
sion and the ground of justification. He is the 
arch deceiver. He is full of all subtlety. If 
it were possible, he would deceive the very 
elect. A sinner under conviction is in great 
danger of being more anxious to be comforted 
than to be converted. The world is full of 
popular errors on this subject. Nor can any 
man be too careful in counting the cost, in 
looking well to the foundations, in testing his 
own exercises by Scripture. Sometimes anx- 
ious souls are told that they must believe. 
When they ask. What must we believe ? they 
are told that they must believe that their sins 
are pardoned and their souls converted. If 
some to whom such counsels are given should 
adopt them, they would believe a lie. We 
must believe the gospel; then we shall be 



EELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 123 

saved. But to believe that we are interested 
in the salvation of Christ is a very different 
thing. The truth to be believed is, that Christ 
is able and willing to save our souls from sin 
and death — not that he has already done it. 
On this subject the Bible is explicit. It al- 
ways holds up Christ, and not ourselves, nor 
our pardon, nor our conversion, -as the object 
of saving faith. ''Believe on the Lord Je- 
sus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 
16:31. 

Be not led into the discussion of dark, ab- 
struse, and therefore useless questions; and 
enter into no heated discussion of any subject. 
Such an exercise is well suited to put a stum- 
bling-block in the way to heaven. If any en- 
deavor to divert your mind to a matter of no 
importance, or to undue interest about any 
thing not essential to salvation, withdraw from 
such. Your great business is reconciliation 
with God. Whatever hinders this is hostile 
to your best interests. Stifle not convictions ; 
grieve not the Spirit by going eagerly after a 
thing of little or no importance. 

Keep constantly in mind that no pains, no 
distress, no tears, no prayers will be of any 
avail, unless we are soundly converted, being 



124 VITAL GODLINESS. 

turned from darkness to light, from sin to ho- 
liness. 

" Our nature 's totally depraved, 
The heart a sink of sin ; 
Without a change we can't be saved ; 
We must be born again." 

How much or how little you may feel, 
whether you have many or few thoughts, 
whether you are happy or miserable, in hope 
or despair, in carelessness or under convic- 
tion, will avail nothing, if you live and die 
without genuine holiness. But this cannot be 
obtained without a renewal of our whole na- 
ture. Holy views, holy frames of mind, holy 
tempers, holy affections, and holy purposes 
must take the place of our spiritual ignorance, 
our wicked prejudices, our carnal affections, 
our sinful plans, or we cannot go to the Father. 
Oh that men everywhere would cry mightily^ 
''Create in me a clean heart, God, and re- 
new a right spirit within me." 

Let all men know that, until they surren- 
der themselves into the hands of the Saviour, 
they are throwing away all their opportuni- 
ties. Christ is full of kindness and tenderness. 
None is so pitiful as he. Look at his sorrow 
as he beheld the city of his enemies and mur- 
derers. ''When he was come near, he beheld 



EELIGIOUS DISTEESS. 125 

the city, and wept over it." Luke 19 : 41. 
History tells us that Marcellus wept over Syr- 
acuse, Scipio over Carthage, and Titus over 
Jerusalem some forty years after Jesus entered 
it in the triumph decreed to him in prophecy. 
But all these wept over those whose blood they 
were about to shed. Jesus wept over those 
who were about to shed his blood. Cannot 
you trust your soul with a Saviour whose com- 
passions are so free, so large, so divine ? Be- 
hold him on the cross, lingering, bleeding, dy- 
ing for the sins of men, and say if you are jus- 
tified in longer resisting his claims and his 
charms. John says, "We love him, because 
he first loved us." 1 John 4 : 19. What coula 
be more proper? Surely such love as his 
should beget love in us. That Jesus who 
wept over Jerusalem will surely have com- 
passion on souls who weep for their sins, and 
forsake them, and flee to atoning blood for 
pardon, and to Christ^s glorious righteousness 
for acceptance. Oh that men would believe 
and live. Through Christ there is hope. By 
him all our sins may be buried in the depths of 
the sea. By him the darkness flees away. 
Through his mediation we are brought to sing 
the song of Moses and the Lamb. 



126 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Finally, let no man take the word of any 
uninspired man as of binding force in any mat- 
ter of religion. If such a course is dangerous 
in doctrinal religion, it is no less so in experi- 
mental and practical piety. If any thing that 
has been said shall guide or comfort any soul, 
to God be all the praise and glory. Meantime, 
'' Out of the spoils won in battles have I dedi- 
cated these things to maintain the house of the 
Lord.^' 1 Chron. 26 : 27. 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 127 

CHAPTER YIII. 

SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 

In practical religion there is no greater 
mistake than the persuasion that if we are 
pleased with ourselves, God is- also pleased 
with us. Pride, vain-glory, and self-compla- 
cency blind, bewilder, and intoxicate. In no 
form or degree do they make us meet for the 
inheritance of the saints in light. On the other 
hand, shame for our own vileness, sorrow for 
our shortcomings, self-loathing for undeniable 
turpitude of soul are profitable. Yea, ''it is 
better to go to the house of mourning than to 
the house of feasting ; for by the sadness of the 
countenance the heart is made better." 

In this life God's people may expect much 
weeping and mourning. Waters of a full cup 
are wrung out to them. But the word of God 
puts limits to the griefs of the godly: "Weep- 
ing may endure for a night, but joy cometh in 
the morning;" ''Blessed are they that mourn; 
for they shall be comforted;" "Ye now have 
sorrow; but I will see you again, and your 
eart shall rejoice." Psa. 30 : 5 ; Matt. 5 : 4 j 



128 VITAL GODLINESS. 

John 16 : 22. Though the righteous shall not 
weep always, yet they may weep bitterly. 
The bare shedding of tears is not the only 
kind of weeping, nor the uttering of sighs the 
only mourning. Many who shed no tears and 
utter no sighs or groans, feel more deeply and 
painfully than those who hold out the usual 
signals of distress. There are states of mind 
far beyond the power of tears to relieve, far 
beyond the utterance of groans to alleviate. 
There is no pain of mind like that "dry sor- 
row, which drinketh up the blood and spirits.'' 

Moreover, tears are often shed and sorrow 
often felt which God abhors. Tears of anger, 
of jealousy, of wounded pride, of detected wick- 
edness, are all abominable to God. Jonah 
displeased the Lord by all his grief about his 
gourd. Amaziah was grieved for the hundred 
talents of silver, but God took no account of 
that. 

Each one can determine the character of 
his sorrow, if he will but observe whether it 
improves his heart and temper, and whether it 
weans him from the world. That sorrow of 
the world which works death is always to be 
repented of. 

One class of evils bringing sorrow to the 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 129 

righteous is made up of the common calamities 
of life, such as sickness, poverty, the failure of 
hope, the want of friends, the want of means, 
the want of success, the death of friends, and 
the change of friends into enemies. 

Another class of evils over which good men 
weep, are such as the sins of the times, igno- 
rance, profaneness, lewdness, drunkenness, cov- 
etousness, lukewarmness, heresies, contentions, 
whisperings, and revilings. When God's cause 
languishes, the righteous must be sad. When 
iniquity abounds, he whose love waxes not 
cold must be grieved. When the foot of pride 
is on the neck of the saints, there will be mourn- 
ing. David cried, "Let the wickedness of the 
wicked come to an end." Psa. 7:9. "Rivers 
of waters run down mine eyes, because men 
keep not thy law." Psa. 119 : 136. "Horror 
hath taken hold upon me, because of the wick- 
ed that forsake thy law." Psa. 119:53. So 
strong was this feeling in the mind of Paul, 
that he said to the Thessalonians, "Now we 
live, if ye stand fast in the Lord." 1 Thess. 
3:8. This was equivalent to saying, If all 
things go on well in the church, I shall rise 
superior to all other trials ; but if the church 
wanders into error and folly, my heart will 

6* 



130 VITAL GODLINESS. 

die within me. So highly does God prize 
such dispositions, that when he was about ter- 
ribly to punish Israel of old, he sent an angel 
with an ink-horn by his side through the midst 
of the city, to set a mark upon the foreheads 
of the men that did sigh and cry for all the 
abominations that were done in Jerusalem. 
Ezek. 9 : 4. 

Other evils over which good men weep are 
found in themselves, such as error, ignorance, 
prejudice, pride, self- righteousness, worldli- 
ness, levity, uncharitable tempers and dispo- 
sitions, censoriousness, envy, sinful anger, ha- 
tred, a proneness to remember wrongs, to in- 
dulge complaints, and to forget mercies. There 
is no plague like the plague of an evil heart. 
There is no misery like the wretchedness of 
conscious vileness. There are no sighs so long 
and so deep-drawn as those caused by indwell- 
ing sin. Job said, ''I abhor myself, and re- 
pent in dust and ashes." David said, ''Mine 
iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I 
am not able to look up ; they are more than 
the hairs of my head ; therefore my heart fail- 
eth me." Isaiah said, "Woe is me, for I am 
undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, 
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean 



SPIEITUAL DAEKNESS. 131 

lips.'^ And Paul said, '' wretched man that 
I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death?" 

Besides these things, God's people are sub- 
ject to seasons of great spiritual darkness, 
which cause them long and loud and bitter 
weeping. These times of darkness and de- 
pression are more or less lasting and afl&icting, 
according to the wisdom of Him who knows 
when, how, and how far his chosen servants 
need suffering. 

These seasons of darkness sometimes come 
on very suddenly, but more commonly they 
are gradual in their approaches. There is first 
the little cloud. This spreads and thickens, 
till the whole heavens become black and angry. 
As in the natural world the elements of storm 
are often gathering when we perceive them 
not, so in the spiritual world, sins are often 
separating between us and God, and we know 
not our sad estate. Many think all is well, 
until to their surprise their day is turned into 
night, and their mirth into heaviness. Then to 
their grief they find their enemies upon them, 
and themselves shorn of the locks of their 
strength. Any sin may lead the mind to deep 
depression — may shroud it in terrible darkness. 



132 VITAL GODLINESS. 

This darkness consists of several things. 
Commonly it is attended with a loss of com- 
fortable evidence of personal piety. Hope 
grows dim. Marks of piety become obscured. 
The troubled soul feels unable to claim the 
promises. It has some perception of their 
sweetness and faithfulness, but says they are 
not for me. Then thoughts about the mercy 
of Grod yield no comfort, for the soul says, I 
have abused all his kindness. I have rendered 
myself abominable by my base ingratitude. 
Reflections on past seasons of joyful experience 
but render the present trial the more painful. 
They show what has been lost. Or perhaps all 
former comforts are counted delusions. Once 
the man thought he never could question God's 
love to him ; but now he is ready to turn away 
from all that is cheering, and look only on the 
gloomy side of his religious state. 

Eeading the Bible rather depresses than 
refreshes him ; for although glorious things are 
there spoken of God's people, yet he discredits 
liis claims to discipleship. Finding that in some 
things he has been sadly deficient in godly sin- 
cerity, he is much inclined to pronounce him- 
self in all things hypocritical. The view^ he 
takes of his sins is, that they are so fearfully 



SPIEITUAL DAKKNESS. 133 

aggravated that they cannot be forgiven, even 
through the redemption that is in Christ. He 
does not see how one who loves God can be 
guilty of so heinous offences. Tears are his 
meat day and night. As with a sword in his 
bones, his enemies reproach him; while they 
say daily unto him. Where is thy Grod ? Hope 
seems ready utterly to forsake him, and terri- 
ble darkness to take its place. His soul is 
cast down and disquieted within him. It is 
with feebleness that he utters the self-exhorta- 
tion, " my soul, . . . hope thou in Grod ; for I 
shall yet praise him for the help of his coun- 
tenance.'^ He can no more confidently say, 
"The Lord will command his loving-kindness 
in the daytime, and in the night his song shall 
be with me.'' He is dejected, despondent, dis- 
couraged. He needs a guide, a friend, a coun- 
sellor, a comforter. 

Many fears now torment him. He remem- 
bers Grod, and is troubled. Every divine per- 
fection is contemplated with dread. Grod's 
truth, and mercy, and power, and holiness, 
and justice, and majesty become sources of 
terror. The King eternal, immortal, and in- 
visible becomes the dreadful God. The love 
of Christ itself increases apprehensions lest the 



134 VITAL GODLINESS. 

slighting of his mercies should hasten everlast- 
ing damnation. Fears of having grieved and 
vexed, and even quenched the Holy Spirit, so 
that he is turned to be an enemy, have now a 
sad prevalence. The threatenings of Scripture 
against such as have sinned against much light 
and many warnings spread dismay through 
his soul. Even the promises and invitations 
of Scripture, because they have been slighted, 
produce alarm rather than hope and peace. 

In this state of mind, he is terrified at the 
thought of coming to the Lord's supper. To 
him it is indeed "the dreadful table of the 
Lord." In contemplating it, he sees far more 
of Sinai than of Calvary. Fierce flames shoot 
out where once he saw but the bright beams 
of unparalleled love and mercy, truth and 
faithfulness. Even the gospel becomes to him 
a dispensation of terror, a ministration of 
wrath. 

Singing the songs of Zion is to such a one 
an unusual exercise. It brings no pleasure, 
unless it is of a mournful kind. Plaintive 
hymns and tunes best suit this state of depres- 
sion. Sometimes they bring the relief of tears. 
And this is often considerable. Though we 
may weep without having our hardness of 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 135 

heart really cured, yet to one thus exercised 
it is a luxury to be able to have any evidence 
that all sense and feeling are not clean gone. 
And yet connected prayer is hardly under- 
taken, or if attempted, is found impossible. 
Instead of regular prayer to God, the heart 
ventures only to express wishes, but not ac- 
companied by much hope that- they will be 
gratified. If he asks any thing of God, he 
seems to himself to have little or no faith either 
in God's ability or willingness to grant his 
petitions. 

Satan will now probably roar like a lion 
over his prey. He may suggest to the soul 
that God is its irreconcilable enemy, that 
Christ will surely deny it at last, and that the 
Holy Ghost is fighting against it. He says, 
"Your prayers are sin, your efforts are vain, 
your case is desperate, Christ has been rejected, 
the day of grace is past, salvation is impossi- 
ble, heaven is lost, hell must be your portion." 
He thrusts a thousand fiery darts at the soul. 
He labors to arouse to the utmost some unsub- 
dued lust, or suggests blasphemous thoughts, 
tempting the soul to curse God, or bid defi- 
ance to his wrath. Such thoughts are shock- 
ing ; but the more they are resisted merely in 



136 VITAL GODLINESS. 

human strength, the more powerful they may 
become. 

All the while the soul is like the troubled ^ 
sea, which cannot rest, whose waters cast up 
mire and dirt. His bones wax old through 
his roaring. He is consumed by the terrors 
of the Almighty. He finds no access to the 
mercy-seat, no cordial to revive his drooping 
spirit. Sometimes apprehensions of certain 
and speedy wrath become firm and fixed. At 
times it seems as if the pains of hell have al- 
ready got hold upon him. The arrows of the 
Almighty stick fast in him. Something so 
much like despair that you can hardly tell the 
difference possesses him, and he will hardly 
allow that he is making any effort to flee from 
the wrath to come. He thinks, and perhaps 
speaks familiarly, of reprobation and hell. 
Sometimes the adversary pours in his horrid 
temptations in an almost perpetual stream. 
He suggests the great crime of self-murder, 
and assigns as a reason, that longer continu- 
ance will but aggravate a condemnation al- 
ready felt to be exceedingly terrible. 

Sometimes one whose heart is thus smit- 
ten and withered like grass hears the gospel 
preached publicly or privately, and for a sea- 



SPIEITUAL DAEKNESS. 137 

son seems relieved, at least partially ; but often 
this deliverance is only temporary, and the 
mind is apt to sink down again into gloom and 
wretchedness. To such a soul nothing is charm- 
ing. Nature, in her gayest hues and dress, 
seems covered with a pall of sadness. The 
blue heavens wither. The green mountains 
look hoary. Even the flowers look drab. 
Well might he now sing, 

" Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers, 
Have lost all their sweetness with me ; 
The midsummer sun shines but dim, 
The fields strive in vain to look gay." 

Sleep departs, or is broken by frightful dreams. 
He forgets to eat his bread. Psa. 102 : 3. 

Probably in the midst of all this suffering, 
when he most needs the sympathies of God's 
people, they will seem cold and distant; or 
perhaps they will judge him harshly, and re- 
gard his present distress as the fruit of some 
special sin. Perhaps trumpet-tongued slander 
will open wide her mouth, and proclaim false- 
hoods concerning him. Or perhaps sickness, 
or death, or pecuniary distress will invade his 
habitation; and thus he has sorrow upon sor- 
row. If God's word gives any relief in this 
state of mind, it is only those parts of it which 



138 VITAL GODLINESS. 

describe Ms present state or express his pres- 
ent feelings. The complaints of Job or the 
mourning prayers of David show him that oth- 
ers before him have been in deep water, and 
so he sees that possibly he may yet escape ; 
but ''a horror of great darkness has fallen 
upon" him. ''The spirit of a man sustaineth 
his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can 
bear?" His soul sinks, and it seems as if all 
was lost. He may have days or weeks or 
months of apparently tideless, waveless, shore- 
less, fathomless woe. 

But when God's purposes are accomplished, 
then comes relief. This may. approach sud- 
denly, but more commonly it comes gradually. 
Sometimes sudden and transient joy is given to 
prevent despair, before a settled calmness and 
quiet of soul is obtained. Generally the first 
step towards a return of joy is an increase of 
hope. Paul directs that we should take for a 
helmet the hope of salvation. We are saved 
by hope. Hope excites to action ; and to the 
no little comfort of this distressed soul, he finds 
that with God's help he can do something. 

He can resist the devil, and cause him to 
flee. The sword of the Spirit is God's word, 
and Satan finds its edge too keen for him. 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 139 

When this man finds he can stop the mouth of 
the old lion, or discovers that he is a chained 
enemy, and that there is One stronger and 
mightier than the prince of the power of the 
air, he is very glad, and lays about him lustily. 

This encourages hope, and faith begins 
again to lay hold of the promises. Confidence 
In Grod — in his power, wisdom, truth, and mer- 
cy — reassures the soul. The tongue of the 
dumb is loosed. The silent man begins to 
pray. The mourning soul begins to sing of 
mercies. Portions of Scripture begin to be 
brought home to the heart with heavenly 
sweetness. His views of the Saviour become 
refreshing and ravishing. He sees God in 
Christ, reconciling the world to himself He 
glories in the cross of Christ. He esteems all 
things but loss, for the excellency of the know- 
ledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. The Holy 
Ghost dwells in him, takes of the things of 
Christ, and shows them unto him. The Sanc- 
tifier becomes the Comforter. He now takes 
root downward, a sure pledge that he will yet 
bear fruit upward. 

No precept of God's word is too strict for 
him. No promise is without its sweetness. 
No hours are so pleasant as those spent in de- 



MO VITAL GODLINESS. 

votion. He can now say in truth, ''I had 
rather be a door-keeper — perform the hum- 
blest service — in the house of my God than to 
dwell in the tents of wickedness.'' His preju- 
dices against men subside, his enmities are all 
buried, his heart-burnings give place to a spirit 
of love which embraces all mankind. He has 
a special delight in all God's people. He now 
knows that he has passed from death unto life, 
because he loves the brethren. His heart is 
full of gratitude. His mouth is full of praise. 
His thoughts burn within him. They are of 
salvation. Gladly does he offer all to Him who 
has brought him up out of the horrible pit and 
the miry clay, and set his feet upon a rock. 

Now his meditation of God is sweet. And 
although sin is still at work, it no longer pre- 
vails against him. He looks forward with 
confident expectation to the period not distant, 
when he shall be done with temptation for ever, 
behold Christ in the fulness of his glory at 
God's right hand, and take up his abode on- 
the banks of the river of life. He now takes 
just and profitable views of the nearness of; 
eternity, of the shortness of time, of the worth- 
lessness of things that perish, and of the price- 
less value of heavenly things. 



SPIEITUAL DAEKNESS. 141 

And now the bent of the soul is towards 
G"od. The believer discovers the end of the 
Lord in his late trials. He sees how they were 
designed to prepare him for more abundant 
supplies of grace, strength, and enjoyment. 
He is therefore ready to say, "It is good for 
me that I have been afflicted." He is now 
like a child weaned of his mother. He is 
filled with the peaceable fruit of righteous- 
ness. 

Such a view of one's experience is instruct- 
ive. It teaches many lessons. It specially 
warns us to beware of the beginnings of sin. 
Neglect of duty, levity of mind, low views of 
God, a fretful temper, deceit, a want of the 
spirit of forgiveness, or any other sin, may 
plunge us into darkness. Fear of man is a 
great foe to grace. "He has begun to be a 
bad man, who fears to be a good man." We 
cannot be too vigilant over our own hearts. 
We cannot too tenderly love our Master and 
his people. We cannot be too zealous in the 
Lord's cause. "Sin's joys are but night 
dreams." 

If at any llhie we should be overtaken with 
darkness, let us make diligent search for the 
cause. If moral, it will be found in that sin 



142 VITAL GODLINESS. 

wMch we find ourselves averse to thinking of, 
or disinclined to hear faithfully reproved. - 

In times of darkness we should be very 
diligent in reading the Scriptures. Possibly 
we may have slighted some portion of God's 
word, while it contains the very truths whose 
cleansing, comforting power is most needed in 
our case. Especially labor to know the full 
import of those portions of Scripture which 
treat of experimental religion. The heavens 
themselves shall pass away, but God's word is 
for ever stable. 

"The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, 
Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt away ; 
But fixed his word, his saving power remains. 
Thy reahn for ever lasts ; thy own Messiah reigns." 

In darkness and perplexity consult, if you 
can, an experienced minister or Christian. Do 
not count them enemies if they probe your 
wounds and deal faithfully with you. Those 
who do but prophesy smooth things, will be 
found unprofitable in the end. The advice of 
weak, ignorant, or partial persons is apt to be 
injurious. Consult not those who are not fit 
to be advisers. 

Labor to obtain clear views "t^f the freeness 
and sufficiency of the salvation that is in Christ 
Jesus. Remember how in millions of cases 



SPIEITUAL DARKNESS. 143 

where sin abounded, grace hath much more 
abounded. '' Nothing can satisfy an offended 
conscience but that which satisfies an offended 
God," said Henry. Whereupon Adam said, 
"And well may that which satisfied an offend- 
ed Grod pacify an offended conscience." "Well 
did Cromwell in a letter to a friend say, '' Sa- 
lute your dear wife from me. Bid her beware 
of a bondage spirit. Fear is the natural issue 
of such a spirit; the antidote is love. The 
voice of fear is, 'If I had done this, if I had 
done that, how well it had been with me.' 
Love argueth in this wise; 'What a Christ 
have I ; what a Father in and through him } 
what a name hath my Father, ' merciful, gra- 
cious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and 
truth; forgiving iniquity, transgression, and 
sin.' What a nature hath my Father. He is 
love ; free in it, unchangeable, infinite. What 
a covenant between him and Christ, for all the 
seed, for every one; wherein he undertakes 
all, and the poor soul nothing.' The new cov- 
enant is grace, to or upon the soul to which it 
is receptive." Your salvation depends not on 
your comfortable or uncomfortable frames, but 
on the grace and power of God. Eemember 
the word, the oath, the covenant of God. Fight 



144 VITAL GODLINESS. 

against despair. It is a great sin as well as a 
great misery. 

Be conscientious in the performance of ev- 
ery duty. '' He that loses his conscience, has 
nothing left worth keeping.'^ It would be no 
token for good to have your affliction pass 
away while you are indulging in either sins of 
omission or of commission. "If you would 
not have affliction visit you twice, listen at 
once to what it teaches.'^ God will never de- 
sert one who keeps a conscience void of offence. 
He may be weak as water, but Grod will gird 
him with strength. Leigh ton says, "When 
we consider how we are in ourselves, yea, the 
very strongest of us, and how assaulted, we 
may justly wonder that we can continue one 
day in a state of grace ; but when we look on 
the strength by which we are guarded, the 
power of God, then we see the reason of our 
stability to the end ; for Omnipotency supports 
us, and the everlasting arms are under us.'^ A 
good old English bishop had for his motto, 
"Serve God, and be cheerful." 

Beware of unnecessary expressions of your 
feelings in the presence of wicked men, lest 
they stumble at your temptations; or in the 
presence of weak brethren, lest you offend 



SPIRITUAL DABKNESS. 145 

against the generation of God's children. Some 
men do not know that '' a diamond with some 
flaws is still more precious than a pebble that 
has none." David kept his mouth with a bri- 
dle while the wicked was before him. He held 
his peace even from good. Do not wound 
Christ in the house of his friends by any ex- 
posure of your trials which will not be under- 
stood by others. Eather bear your sorrows in 
secret. 

In your darkness call to mind the years of 
the right hand of the Most High, when the 
candle of the Lord shone upon you. Former 
joyful experiences of our Father's love are not 
so to be relied on as to make us careless about 
our present state. Neither are they to be for- 
gotten. In meeting Goliath, David encour- 
aged himself by calling to mind God's good- 
ness on former occasions of great peril : "The 
Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the 
lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will 
deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." 
1 Sam. 17:37. 

When your darkness begins to be removed, 
do not rest satisfied with small attainments. 
Some good men think that one of the errors of 
our day is preaching a low experience. How- 

Vn«l Godllnegs. 7 



146 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ever this may be, let us beware of resting in 
few and small victories. ''Open thy mouth 
wide, and I will fill it," says God. 

One of the best ways to dispel fears for our 
personal safety is to labor for the salvation of 
others. Professed Christians often get into a 
morbid state of mind about their religious pros- 
pects. They are afraid they shall not be saved. 
Perhaps they will not be. If that is their chief 
anxiety, they can hardly expect comfort. It is 
selfish always to be thinking of their own fu- 
ture happiness, and in their terrible fears they 
are paying the just penalty of their low aims. 
But let them go out of themselves, and try to 
secure the salvation of others, and their fears 
are gone. Then they are doing God's work, 
and they have no doubt of his love. 

Restored to spiritual comfort, beware of 
sin in every shape. Especially beware of spir- 
itual pride and carnal security. In recounting 
God's dealings with you, praise not yourself, 
but glorify God. Extol his free, sovereign 
f grace. 

Let all God's people remember that soon 
all their sorrows will be gone, and the days of 
their mourning ended. 

How different the character, experience. 



SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. 147 

and destiny of the rigliteous from those of the 
wicked. Here the righteous mourn ; but they 
shall he comforted. Here the wicked have their 
good things ; but they sliaU he tormented. At 
death the sorrows of the righteous end for ever, 
and eternal joy begins. At death the joys of 
the wicked terminate, and eternal sorrow be- 
gins. The righteous cry to Grod daily even in 
prosperity. The wicked commonly do not 
begin to pray till God has ceased to hear. 



148 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER IX. 

BACKSLIDING. 

''A PERSON who suspected that a minister 
of his acquaintance was not truly orthodox, 
went to him and said, 'Sir, I am told that 
you are against the perseverance of the saints/ 
' Not I, indeed,' answered he ; 'it is the perse- 
verance of sinners that I oppose.' The other 
replied, ' But that is not a satisfactory answer, 
sir. Do you think that a child of God cannot 
fall very low, and yet be restored ?' The min- 
ister answered, ' I think it will be very dan- 
gerous to make the experiment.'" Whether 
the minister was orthodox or not, it is certain 
that his sentiments, so far as expressed, were 
quite consistent with the Bible. He who is 
determined to see how far he may decline in 
religion and yet be restored, will lose his soul. 
"The soul that doeth aught presumptuously 
shall surely be cut off." He that regards sin 
with so little abhorrence as willingly to commit 
it, cannot be walking in the way of life. He 
who allowedly and habitually departs from 



BACKSLIDING. 149 

God, proves that sin reigns in his mortal body, 
and that he is the slave of corruption. 

The declensions of good and bad men are 
unlike in several particulars. When the wick- 
ed depart from God, they cry, "Peace and 
safety." When the righteous no longer main- 
tain a close walk with God, they say. Oh that 
it were with us as in months past. In their 
wanderings, the wicked call themselves happy. 
Having forsaken God, the righteous lose en- 
joyment, and are filled with sadness. The 
wicked backslide perpetually. Jer. 8:6. The 
righteous err from God's ways but for a time. 
The wicked are bent to backsliding. Hosea 
11 : 7. The righteous are betrayed into sin. 
The wicked are as the sow wallowing in the 
mire. It is their nature to work iniquity. The 
righteous are as the cleanly sheep. If they 
are in the slough, it is their calamity. "Who- 
soever is born of God doth not commit sin ; 
for his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot 
sin, because he is born of God." The wicked 
fill up their sin always. They sleep not ex- 
cept they have done some mischief. They dig 
into hell. The righteous is not so. Even when 
he sleepeth, his heart waketh. When he fall- 
eth, he shall rise again. When he sitteth in 



150 VITAL GODLINESS. 

darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto him. 
A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up 
again. All his backslidings are healed. 

The danger of declension is very great. 
Many think not so. Their words and lives 
prove that they think it a small matter to offend 
God and grieve his Spirit. They are cold and 
heartless in his service. Their fear of offend- 
ing Grod is a weak principle. It controls them 
not. It has not the force of law. We are al- 
ways in danger when we have slight thoughts 
of the evil of sin, and have not our loins girt 
about. To depart from God is to seek dark- 
ness. 

Let us then inquire who are backsliders. 
This is a point of high importance. Like 
all matters of practical religion, it demands 
candor, seriousness, and discrimination. He 
who wishes to deceive himself can commonly 
do so. 

It is no conclusive evidence that one is not 
a backslider, that he is not himself convinced of 
the fact. A truly pious man in a state of de- 
clension usually has some fears respecting him- 
self; but many grievously depart from God 
without being fully convinced of their error. 
It is a sad truth, that all sin blinds the mind 



BACKSLIDING. 151 

and hardens the heart. It is very difficult to 
convince any man of his guilt. We have an 
account of a primitive church that was in a sad 
declension, neither cold nor hot, and ready to 
be spewed out; and yet, far from having any 
just sense of her state, she said, ''I am rich, 
and increased with goods, and have need of 
nothing ;" and knew not that she was wretched, 
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 
Eev. 3:16, 17. 

Many are kept from owning their back- 
slidings, because they are mercifully restrained 
from open sins. Had they publicly fallen 
into overt iniquity, they would blush, and be 
ashamed ; they would bewail their wickedness 
before God and men. But as yet all is secret. 
They are merely backsliders in heart. No 
man knows of their spiritual wickedness. No 
man can accuse them of living in coldness or 
in iniquity. Hence they conclude that all is 
well. But they are mistaken. It may all 
come to the knowledge of men in a short time. 
It was so with David. To him Grod said, 
"Thou didst it secretly; but I will do this 
thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'' 
2 Sam. 12 : 12. 

It should also be stated that it is easy to 



152 VITAL GODLINESS. 

backslide from Grod. We go astray from the 
womb, speaking lies. It is as natural for us 
to do wrong as for the sparks to ascend. In 
our voyage heavenward, wind and tide are 
both against us. If we do nothing to over- 
come their action, they will carry us away. 
We can go to hell without intending to do so, 
without putting forth any efforts to that effect. 
But to go to heaven requires prayer, self- 
denial, vigilance, violence, running, wrestling, 
fighting. 

All serious declension in religion begins in 
negligence of closet duties. These are, medi- 
tation, self-examination, reading the Scrip- 
tures, praise, and prayer. A close walk with 
Grod insures regularity and alacrity in per- 
forming these duties. But an indisposition for 
them is one of the first signs that spiritual 
health is failing. This symptom should pro- 
duce alarm. Sometimes it does ] and then the 
enemy gains no permanent advantage. But 
often the soul is made quite at ease, is thrown 
quite off its guard, and allows the public du- 
ties of religion to supersede the secret. A 
true Christian can hardly live without any 
secret prayer ; but he may be in such a state 
as sadly to slight the means of personal com- 



BACKSLIDING. 153 

munion with Grod. Trains of pious meditation 
may be few. The Scriptures may cease to be 
to the soul the lively oracles, honey and the 
honey-comb. Self-examination may prove a 
hard task, and a revealer of unlooked-for wick- 
edness. Praise and thanksgiving may become 
strange things, and He who gave songs in the 
night may leave the soul to sighings and toss- 
ings. Then prayer will be regarded rather as 
an exaction to be granted than as a privilege 
to be enjoyed. When piety flourished in the 
soul, it was not enough to perform closet duties 
statedly and formally. Without having set a 
particular time for them, the soul would occa- 
sionally pursue its pious reflections, its self- 
examinations, its earnest inquiries, its grateful 
trains of thought. It would sing some notes 
of praise. It would cry out after God, even 
when removed from the usual place and cir- 
cumstances of devotion. Yes, in the midst of 
worldly business, devout aspirations would as- 
cend to the Father of mercies ; the events of 
providence successively occurring would be^ 
piously contemplated; the tear of penitence 
would often trickle down, and hope would 
rouse the soul to great animation. 

But when such a one backslides, religion 
7* 



154 VITAL GODLINESS. 

is gradually excluded from a place in the com- 
mon affairs of life. Its duties are shoved into 
a corner or removed from hourly attention. 
Then one will go from his closet, quieting his 
conscience with the reflection that he has spent 
some time in the set observance of secret 
duties, and now he feels more free to welcome 
the affairs of the world. He follows the Lord, 
but not fully nor heartily. Here the sad work 
of declension begins. Sin advances apace. 
Thraldom and bewilderment commence. The 
soul is already in a net. Blessed is he who 
now takes the alarm, returns to duty and to 
the Saviour, and is restored to peace, a good 
conscience, and the light of Grod's countenance. 
Sometimes this is done. In every case it should 
be attempted. But often sin gains strength. 
The backslider proceeds to greater lengths. 

The next step is the neglect of family and 
social religion. This may not soon be taken; 
but it is well-nigh impossible to be cold and 
formal in the closet, and lively and punctual 
in the social duties of devotion. Hypocrisy 
may go very far, but rarely as far as this, 
Men are affected by temptations to slight or 
omit family worship or social prayer, accord- 
ing to the state of their hearts. To the lively, 



BACKSLIDING. 155 

growing Christian tlie adversary comes, but 
has nothing in him. His allurements take not 
effect. But to the neglecter of his spiritual 
duties, the enemy approaches boldly. He 
finds his reasonings vainly resisted, and finally 
yielded to. The stones of the domestic altar 
begin to be loose and ready to tumble down, 
and the little praying circle is quite forsaken. 
How sad a state is this. How blind the mind 
becomes under the power of sin. None but 
Grod can effectually check this painful declen- 
sion. 

In this state, ere long one feels uneasy and 
guilty. Therefore, to quiet conscience and 
keep up appearances with himself, he may for 
a long time be unusually strict and punctual in 
some of the public duties of religion. So his 
seat will seldom be vacant in the more public 
worship of God. For like reason he will be- 
come quite zealous about some of the externals 
of religion. Or he may insist much on the 
system of doctrine which he has embraced, 
having learned the art of holding the truth in 
unrighteousness. Or he may talk of experi- 
mental religion, deceiving himself with the be- 
lief that if he talks on the subject it is a sign 
of some right feeling. He is now sadly blind 



156 VITAL GODLINESS. 

to his own wretchedness. If he has gone thus 
far, it will probably not be long till he will be 
detained from the house of God by causes that 
once could have had no hindering effect. His 
zeal even for forms and externals will probably 
soon betray weakness, or fierceness, or a spirit 
of contention. His love for truth will be sub- 
stituted by a desire for controversy. Prac- 
tical and experimental religion will engage but 
few of his words or thoughts. His heart has 
gone after other things. Sometimes indeed 
one acquires the evil habit of speaking fluently 
of things not felt nor loved. In this case re- 
covery is less and less to be expected. All 
insincerity is unfriendly to our recovering our- 
selves out of the snare of the devil. 

Such a soul will find duties and ordinances 
unprofitable. He will go away from prayer, 
from reading, from preaching, and even from 
the Lord's table, and be no more holy, no more 
humble, no more watchful, no more spiritually 
minded, no more able to resist temptation than 
before. Sometimes he hopes that he is receiv- 
ing profit ; but his conduct soon shows that he 
is mistaken. His expectation deceives him. 
"He looks for judgment, but there is none; 
for salvation, but it is far off from him.'' Isa. 



BACKSLIDING. 157 

59:11. He says, ''What profit is it that I 
have kept his ordinance, and that I have 
walked mournfully before the Lord?'^ Mai. 
3 : 14. It is with him even "as when a hungry 
man dreameth, and behold, he eateth; but he 
awaketh, and his soul is empty : or as when a 
thirsty man dreameth, and behold, he drink- 
eth; but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, 
and his soul hath appetite." Isa. 29:8. Some- 
times the ordinances are like the fruit which 
Milton's serpents ate. To the eye it was beau- 
tiful and inviting, but in the mouth it turned 
to ashes, was bitter, and increased thirst. Or 
they are like the book the prophet ate, sweet 
in the mouth, but bitter afterwards. So sin 
often imbitters the most precious privileges. 
Backsliders are made miserable by an ap- 
proach to Grod. They are not prepared for it. 
As piety thus dies in the soul, charity 
diminishes, and censoriousness takes its place, 
A backslider will be more than formerly dis- 
posed to doubt the good motives, the upright 
intentions, and sincere professions of others. 
He will not be slow in entertaining severe 
judgments of others. Sometimes he will ex- 
press harsh opinions of his fellow-men. At- 
taching great value to any little shreds of piety 



158 VITAL GODLINESS. 

still about himself, lie expresses surprise that 
others have not his seeming virtues. He won- 
ders how a Christian can act so and so, while 
he himself is doing worse. His heart does not 
lead him instantly and spontaneously to cast a 
cloak over the faults of others. This spirit 
marks also his treatment of sinners. Reproach 
rather than persuasion, contempt rather than 
affection, mark his conduct towards them that 
are without. It cannot now be said of him 
that he "thinketh no evil," and ''is kind." 
He shows much of the temper of those who 
make a man an offender for a word. 

Soon you may find him vain and trifling in 
his plans and conversation. He prefers vain 
company. He selects unprofitable reading. 
He seeks amusement, not profit. Things must 
be found to suit his taste. When lively in re- 
ligion, his conversation was seasoned with salt ; 
but now any thing rather than religion is con- 
genial to his feelings. On that topic he is 
cold. On temporal things he speaks with zest 
and animation. He may not wholly forsake 
the society of spiritual Christians, but he will 
not always shun the fool and the scorner. Mere 
works of taste or fancy will very much super- 
sede the sound and solid treatises on religion, 



BACKSLIDING. 159 

which once feasted his soul. The Bible does 
not refresh his spirit as once it did. His pious 
friends are often alarmed at his state, and weep 
over it in secret ; yet he often thinks this is the 
usual way to glory. 

In this state he will often exhibit a painful 
degree of indifference to the honor of Christ. 
An apostasy which once would have cost him 
bitter tears, hardly awakens a transient pang. 
He may not grossly profane the name, the 
word, or the Sabbath of the Lord, but he is 
far less than formerly grieved at such sins in 
others. When he sees people sunk in sin, his 
spirit is not stirred within him. He is not 
grieved for the affliction of Joseph. He does 
not weep between the porch and the altar as 
he once did, crying. Spare thy people, 
Lord. 

Nor does he rejoice as formerly in hearing 
of the spread of truth, the conversion of sinners, 
the progress of the gospel. Once his soul was 
inflamed with love and leaped for joy when he 
heard of the revival of religion. President 
Edwards the elder says, that when he first ob- 
tained settled peace of conscience, he felt irre- 
pressible desires for the salvation of the world, 
and had peculiar delight in hearing of the prog- 



160 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ress of religion in any part of the earth. This 
is common Christian experience. A lively 
Christian unites with angels in rejoicing over 
even one sinner that repenteth. But the back- 
slider has little interest in such events. It is 
doubtful whether he loves himself or his Sav- 
iour the most. It grieves him more to hear 
himself reviled than to hear his Saviour blas- 
phemed. It rejoices him more to hear himself 
praised than to hear his Saviour commended. 
Such things render it doubtful whether he ever 
knew the Lord — whether he ever was born 
again. And it is a bad sign if they do not 
shake his confidence in his own conversion. 

These things lead to a great diminution of 
solid religious comfort. He has few songs of 
holy joy. His heart is too cold to relish relig- 
ious duties. He looks on the past with no real 
pleasure. It reminds him of time wasted, of 
vows broken, of opportunities lost, of comforts 
decayed, of mercies slighted. Of the future he 
is much afraid. He remembers G-od, and is 
troubled. He is afraid of evil tidings. He is 
looking out for some sore chastisement. 

His old besetting sins revive with great 
power. Levity takes the place of seriousness ; 
fretfulness expels gentleness. Ambition be- 



BACKSLIDING. 161 

gins to burn in the bosom where formerly dwelt 
lowliness and contentment. Covetonsness re- 
sumes her iron despotism ; or prodigality breaks 
out afresh. The heavenly racer takes up one 
by one the weights which he had formerly laid 
aside. He runs, but as uncertainly ; he fights, 
but with great feebleness. 

Those who have thus departed from Grod are 
left to see what they can do alone. Grod per- 
mits them to try their own power and resour- 
ces. Of such the Comforter says, ''I will go 
and return to my place, till they acknowledge 
their offence and seek my face ; in their afflic- 
tion they will seek me early.'^ Hos. .5:15. 
Samson is now shorn of the locks of his strength. 
It will be well if he be not forced to make 
sport for the Philistines. How long one may 
remain in this state none can tell. To escape 
from such error and sinfulness is no easy thing. 
It pleased God at once to restore Peter after 
he had denied his Lord. But it seems to have 
been months before David shed for his crimes 
the tears of true repentance. It is no easy 
matter to escape from the snare of the devil 
when we have once been led captive by him at 
his will. 

Yet to all God's people hi^ promise stands 



162 VITAL GODLINESS. 

sure: "I will heal their backsliding." Hosea 
14:4. In fulfilling his promise, God will choose 
his own time. He heals when and how he 
pleases. None can hasten, none can retard 
his work. The good Shepherd restoreth the 
soul of his servants, and does not leave them 
to perish in their errors. He commonly be- 
gins the healing process by convincing the soul 
of its sad departures from him. This is done 
by calling the mind to reflection on its own 
evil doings. Sometimes Grod sends Nathan 
the prophet with a pointed message, charging 
home guilt upon the transgressor. Sometimes 
he employs affliction to humble the soul at his 
footstool. ''In their affliction they will seek 
me early." God is not confined to any class 
of means. The crowing of the cock brought 
home to Peter Christ's words of warning with 
as much power as any truth that ever reached 
man's heart. God sometimes uses the deris- 
ion and persecution of the wicked to awaken 
his people out of sleep. The word of God is, 
to such, quick and powerful, and sharper than 
any two-edged sword. The Spirit reproves. 
He convinces of sin; he reveals the baseness 
of the heart ; he makes one see his folly and 
ingratitude in departing from the living God. 



BACKSLIDING. 163 

Now is fulfilled that scripture : ** The backslid- 
er in heart shall be filled with his own ways." 
Prov. 14:14. He forsook God, the fountain 
of living waters. This was his first error. 
The second was like unto it : he hewed out to 
himself broken cisterns, which could hold no 
water. Grod may now let loose his corruptions 
upon him, or send a messenger of Satan to 
buffet him. He is afflicted; he is tossed with 
tempest, and not comforted. He is so "asham- 
ed that he cannot look up.'^ He is convinced 
that he deserves rejection. God often seems 
to fulfil the threatening: "I will meet them as 
a bear that is bereaved of her whelps." Hos. 
13:8. Instead of comforting, he speaks words 
of terror. The afflicted soul says, ''Oh that I 
knew where I might find him! that I might 
come even to his seat! I would order my 
cause before him, and fill my mouth with ar- 
guments. . . . Behold, I go forward, but he is 
not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive 
him: on the left hand, where he doth work, 
but I cannot behold him : he hideth himself on 
the right hand, that I cannot see him." Job 
23: 3, 4, 8, 9. Sometimes despairing thoughts 
enter his mind, and he cries, ''Why is my pain 
perpetual, and my wound incurable, which re- 



164 VITAL GODLINESS. 

fuseth to be healed ? Wilt thou be altogether 
unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?'' 
Jer. 15:18. 

Sometimes he cannot see any thing good 
implanted in his heart by God's Spirit. He 
almost concludes that no real child of God 
would J)e left to fall so low as he has done. 
The promises do not comfort him, though the 
threatenings often terrify him. He feels the 
force and justice of the charge God brings 
against him: ''Hast thou not procured this 
unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the 
Lord thy God ? . . . Thine own wickedness 
shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall 
reprove thee : know therefore and see that it 
is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast for- 
saken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is 
not in thee." Jer. 2:17, 19. He now has 
continual sorrow. He drinks wormwood and 
gall. His conscience makes his soul like the 
troubled sea. None can tell his griefs. "The 
heart knoweth its own bitterness." It is said 
by some that David seems never to have fully 
recovered his joyousness after his backsliding. 
However this may be, we know how the arrows 
of the Almighty stuck fast in him, and his 
waves and his billows passed over him. The 



BACKSLIDING. 165 

pangs of a backslider's recovery often exceed 
those of a first conversion. 

Such views lead one to a hearty confession 
of sin. *'I acknowledge my transgression, and 
my sin is ever before me." Psa. 51 : 3. This 
confession may be minute and particular. It 
will go back and deplore original sin. Psa. 
61 : 5. It will humble itself for sins committed 
before conversion : '' Remember not the sins of 
my youth, nor my transgressions.'^ Psa. 25 : 7. 
But sins committed since a profession of relig- 
ion justly seem to call for deep abasement. 
They are against vows and promises, illumina- 
tion and ordinances — against all that is solemn 
in the public owning of Christ. The fountains 
of the great deep are broken up. Witnesses 
of one's sinfulness arise on all hands. The 
stone out of the wall cries, and the beam out of 
the timber answers it. Thus his confession is 
not vague and general, but definite and par- 
ticular. He sees good cause in many a mis- 
deed why Grod should contend against him. 
Sins against man are not forgotten; but sins 
against God are fearfully multiplied and aggra- 
vated. Sometimes it seems as if the soul was 
made to see all the evil that ever it did, and 
then it cries, ''I am undone." "0 wretched 



166 VITAL GODLINESS. 

man that I am." ''Grod be merciful to me a 
sinner." ''Enter not into judgment with thy 
servant; for in thy sight shall no man living 
be justified." "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark 
iniquities, Lord, who shall stand?" ''I ab- 
hor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." 

Sometimes a soul thus convicted is turbu- 
lent, and rages like a wild bull in the net. 
And now his bones wax old through his roar- 
ing all the day long. It is a great thing to 
have the heart subdued, and the soul made 
like a weaned child. When the soul is thus 
humbled, quiet, and submissive, when high 
looks are brought down and high thoughts 
abased, then God grants a spirit of true believ- 
ing prayer and of strong crying. He says, 
'' Take with you words, and turn to the Lord : 
say unto him. Take away all iniquity, and re- 
ceive us graciously: so will we render the 
calves of our lips." Hos. 14:2. This spirit 
of prayer is sure to be followed by tokens for 
good. Itself is a blessed fruit of Christ's me- 
diation. He that asketh receiveth. 

And now the Lord appears. As the spouse 
found it good to be of a quiet, patient spirit, so 
does the soul; for the next thing is, ''The 
voice of my Beloved ! behold, he cometh, leap- 



BACKSLIDING. 167 

ing upon the mountains, and skipping upon the 
hills." Song 2:7. He ''cometh out of the 
wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with 
myrrh and frankincense." Song 3:6. When, 
in the fulness of his love and kindness and 
power and condescension and faithfulness, 
Christ makes his appearance and shows him- 
self gracious to the repentant soul, there is a 
wonderful change. He comes both gently and 
seasonably. "His going forth is prepared as 
the morning." Hos. 6:3. He bids the soul 
take courage. He forgives all its sins, casting 
them behind his back. He gives a check to 
corruption. He causes the tempter to depart. 
He pours light into the mind. He hushes the 
tumultuous waves of human passion. He 
quiets the troubles of the soul. He says, 
"Peace, be still;" and suddenly there is a 
great calm. Thus Jesus is "a horn of salva- 
tion for us, in the house of his servant Da- 
vid. . . . That we should be saved from our 
enemies, and from the hand of all that hate 
us. . . . That we, being delivered out of the 
hand of our enemies, might serve him without 
fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, 
all the days of our life." . . . Thus he "gives 
knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the 



168 VITAL GODLINESS. 

remission of their sins, through the tender 
mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring 
from on high hath visited us, to give light to 
them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of 
death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 
Luke 1 : 69, etc. 

To a soul thus exercised, Christ in all his 
offices is precious. Its language is, ''Whom 
have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none 
upon earth that I desire besides thee." ''Set 
me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon 
thine arm ; for love is strong as death. Many 
waters cannot quench love, neither can the 
floods drown it; if a man would give all the 
substance of his house for love, it would be 
utterly contemned." Song 8 : 6, 7. In such a 
soul the purposes of obedience are humble, but 
firm. Faith gains many an important victory. 
Penitence loves to shed her secret tears. Hope 
looks up, and says, I shall soon be for ever 
with the Lord. The spirit of adoption says, 
That awful Grod, who shakes the heavens with 
his voice, is my kind and merciful Father. 
Aversion to sin is now strong. The soul says, 
"What shall I render unto the Lord for all 
his benefits?" Gratitude is ready to make 
any offering ; it withholds nothing. 



BACKSLIDING. 169 

In one thus dealt with by the Lord are 
strikingly fulfilled these passages of Scripture : 
' ' I waited patiently for the Lord ; and he in- 
clined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought 
me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the 
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and 
established my goings. And he hath put a new 
song in my mouth, even praise unto our God : 
many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in 
the Lord." Psa. 40 : 1-3. Nor is the follow- 
ing language of the psalmist less applicable to 
his case: "I love the Lord, because he hath 
heard my voice and my supplications. Be- 
cause he hath inclined his ear unto me, there- 
fore will I call upon him as long as I live. 
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the 
pains of hell gat hold upon me : I found trou- 
ble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name 
of the Lord; Lord, I beseech thee, deliver 
my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous ; 
yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserv- 
eth the simple: I was brought low, and he 
helped me. Eeturn unto thy rest, my soul ; 
for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. 
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, 
mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the 

vital Godliness. 8 



170 VITAL GODLINESS. 

living." Psalm 116 : 1-9. Thus experience 
teaches the sense and sweetness of many a 
passage of Scripture formerly read without 
understanding. Indeed it is not uncommon 
for those thus recovered to think that this is 
their first conversion, and that never before 
did they know in their souls the joy of God's 
salvation. The change is great. The grace is 
great. 

When God thus heals backsliders, he kind- 
ly adds these blessings: ''I will love them 
freely ; for mine anger is turned away from 
him. I will be as the dew unto Israel." That 
is, I will send daily gentle, refreshing influ- 
ences upon him. "He shall grow as the lily, 
and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His 
branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be 
as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 
They that dwell under his shadow shall re- 
turn ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow 
as the vine : the scent thereof shall be as the 
wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What 
have I to do any more with idols? I have 
heard him, and observed him : I am like a 
green fir-tree. From me is thy fruit found." 
Hos. 14 : 4-8. All the figures in this passage 
may not be intelligible to some j but plain 



BACKSLIDING. 171 

honest minds will not doubt that here are 
promised rick supplies of free grace, securing 
pardon of sin, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, 
deep-rooted vigor, increase of grace and of 
fruitfulness, usefulness to those under his influ- 
ence, a sweet savor of piety at all times, to- 
gether with an utter renunciation of idols and 
of self-dependence. 

And now are you a backslider ? Are you 
cold, formal, or negligent in the secret duties 
of religion ? Do you feel the uneasiness of 
guilt? Are you ''afraid of evil tidings?'^ Do 
you live in constant apprehension of sore ca- 
lamities? Are ordinances unprofitable to you? 
Are you in the constant exercise of charity, or 
do you indulge in a censorious spirit? Are 
you vain, light, trifling? Do you prefer the 
society of the devout ? What books do you 
select? Are you alive to the honor of Christ? 
Do you enjoy religion? Let these solemn ques- 
tions be asked frequently and answered hon- 
estly, as you shall give account to God. 

If you have evidence that you are not a 
backslider, then give God the glory, and "be 
not high-minded, but fear." Nothing but 
amazing grace can have preserved you from 
the snare of the fowler. But if you find that 



172 VITAL GODLINESS. 

the evidence shows you to be in a state of de- 
clension, then open your eyes to your real con- 
dition, judge yourself, confess your sins, and 
cleave to God. Hear the kind call: ''Come, 
and let us return unto the Lord." Hos. 6:1. 
If you should not return and be healed, and if 
you should be called to die, how sad would be 
your departure out of this world. Your sun 
would go down behind a cloud, leaving others 
in doubt whether it was not gone down in eter- 
nal night. 

And if your sanctification shall not advance 
faster than it has done since you first believed 
in Christ, how long will it be before you are 
prepared unto glory ? At your present rate of 
growth in grace, would you be fit for heaven 
in a thousand years? And yet there is no one 
of us who shall live a thousand months. Many 
will not live a thousand weeks, yea, not a thou- 
isand days. Possibly some will not live a thou- 
sand seconds. Indifference to eternal thiugs 
in so critical circumstances is wholly irrecon- 
cilable with wisdom. 



FAITH. 173 

CHAPTER X. 

FAITH. 

EvEEYWHEEE in the Scriptures great stress 
is laid on faith. In scores of passages its ab- 
solute necessity is explicitly declared. With 
the word of God Christian experience well 
agrees. The young convert had neither hope 
nor joy4ill he believed. His faith being weak, 
he manifests great instability. But as it in- 
creases, he grows stronger until he is undaunt- 
ed, and cries, *' Though he slay me, yet will I 
trust in him." Old Christians speak much of 
faith, and always love to have the truth con- 
cerning it clearly explained. 

But what is the faith on which the Scrip- 
tures so much insist? This is a matter of chief 
importance. An error here will affect our 
whole religious life. Faith is either human or 
divine. In human faith we rely upon what 
men say. This we do by the constitution of 
our minds. Thus children rest upon what 
their parents tell them. Human faith is prop- 
erly confined to things on which God has not 
spoken. Its basis is human testimony. Di- 



174 VITAL GODLINESS. 

vine faith rests on the testimony of Qod, It 
concerns things which are revealed from 
heaven. 

A historical faith is an intellectual assent 
to the truth of any thing recorded in history, 
sacred or profane. Thus we believe that Cae- 
sar conquered Gaul, and that William of Nor- 
mandy conquered Britain. But this belief has 
no effect in making us better or worse. Many 
thus believe that Moses, David, Paul, and 
Christ said and did all that is ascribed V) them, 
yet this faith produces no change in their 
hearts. It is purely intellectual. Thus king 
Agrippa believed the prophets, as Paul de- 
clared. Acts 26 : 27. 

The faith of miracles was a belief that Grod 
could and would work a miracle by one or for 
one. This faith has long since ceased to exist. 
Yet in the days of Christ and his apostles it 
was quite common. It had no saving power. 
Many thus believed and perished. Matt. 
7 : 22, 23 ; 1 Cor. 13 : 2. 

The faith of devils is mentioned by James 
2 : 19 : "The devils also believe and tremble.'^ 
This is a reluctant belief. It is forced upon 
them. It is not confined to fallen angels. 
Men often have a belief of divine things which 



FAITH. 175 

makes them very apprehensive. Thus Felix 
trembled under the terrors of conscience pro- 
duced by Paul's preaching. Thus sinners 
often die in despair, choked with divine ter- 
rors. This faith has no love, no real peni- 
tence, no submission, no humility in it. It 
works wrath, terror, and alienation from God. 
" A temporary faith is a transient persuasion 
that the things of revelation are true, impor- 
tant, and interesting. It seizes upon the tem- 
poral benefits of the gospel, and fills the imagi- 
nation with very vivid conceptions of the pre- 
ciousness of godliness, at least for this life. 
But it never truly engages the affections to 
divine things. A little tribulation or persecu- 
tion kills it outright. Luke 8:13. It never 
changes the heart. It is not in its nature sav- 
ing. 

The faith of God's people relates to things 
past, present, and to come. It believes that 
God made the world. There is the past. It 
believes that God is. There is the present. 
It believes that there will be a day of judg- 
ment. There is the future. Nor are these 
and other revealed truths believed by differ- 
ent kinds of faith, but all by one and the same 
faith. As with the same visual organ we look 



176 VITAL GODLINESS. 

to the east, to the west, to the north, and to 
the south, at objects far from ns or near to us, 
so with the same eye of faith we look at things 
thousands of years past, or thousands of years 
to come, or things now existing in the unseen 
world. Of old for thousands of years the pious 
believed in a Saviour to come. In the days 
of his flesh, his disciples believed in a Saviour 
then come. For nearly two thousand years 
God's people have believed in a Saviour that 
has come. In all these cases the faith was the 
same in principle and in its effects also. 

The Westminster Confession says, ''The 
grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled 
to believe to the saving of their souls, is the 
work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and 
is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the 
word, by which also, and by the administra- 
tion of the sacraments, and prayer, it is in- 
creased and strengthened. By this faith a 
Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is 
revealed in the word for the authority of G-od 
himself speaking therein, and acteth differ- 
ently upon that which each particular passage 
thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the 
commands, trembling at the threatenings, and 
embracing the promises of God for this life 



FAITH. 177 

and that which is to come. But the principal 
acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, 
and resting upon Christ for justification, sanc- 
tification, and eternal life, by virtue of the 
covenant of grace. This faith is different in 
degrees, weak or strong; may be often and 
many ways assailed and weakened, but gets 
the victory ; growing up in many to the attain- 
ment of a full assurance through Christ, who is 
both the author and finisher of our faith.'' 

A little consideration of this account of 
faith will show how full, complete, and scrip- 
tural it is. The first thing asserted is that 
saving faith is not of earthly, but of heavenly 
origin; that it is not of man, but of God. 
Faith is the gift of God. It is expressly called 
a ''faith of the operation of God." "Unto you 
it is given on the behalf of Christ to believe on 
him." " God hath dealt to every man the 
measure of faith." When ''Peter said, Thou 
art Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus 
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, 
Simon Barjona ; for flesh and blood hath not 
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is 
in heaven." This faith is particularly ascribed 
to the Holy Ghost as its author. He produces 
it in the heart. So say the Scriptures. " The 

8* 



178 VITAL GODLINESS. 

fruit of the Spirit is faith." "To another is 
given faith by the same Spirit." " We having 
the same Spirit of faith, also believe." The 
reason why saving faith endures, is because it 
is the incorruptible seed of God. 

It is next said that in working this faith in 
us, God puts honor upon his word as the ordi- 
nary instrument. With this also the Scrip- 
tures well agree. "How shall they believe in 
him of whom they have not heard ? and how 
shall they hear without a preacher ? . . . So 
then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by 
the word of God." "It pleased God by the 
foolishness of preaching to save them that be- 
lieve." This is the foundation of all our en- 
couragement in proclaiming the gospel. That 
which is sown in the weakness of man is raised 
in the mighty energy of the Holy Ghost. No 
wonder that such happy results flow from pro- 
claiming the gospel whenever God's Spirit at- 
tends it. It is thus the power of God unto 
salvation to every one that believeth. "God's 
gracious biddings are effectual enablings." 

In like manner this faith is chiefly nour- 
ished by the ministry of the word and other 
ordinances, and by prayer. " Lord, increase 
our faith." The baptism of water is effectual 



FAITH. 179 

when accompanied by the baptism of the Holy 
Grhost. The breaking of bread and drinking 
of wine are means of nourishment to all those 
who drink spiritually of the Rock which fol- 
lows them, even Christ, and who by faith eat 
the true bread which cometh down from heav- 
en, even the Son of God. All the saints de- 
sire the sincere milk of the word, that they may 
grow thereby. 

True faith respects all God's word. It re- 
ceives narratives, promises, threatenings, doc- 
trines, precepts, warnings, encouragements, all 
as they were designed for its use. It obeys 
God's commands. They were given for that 
purpose. It is afraid of his threatenings. It 
trembles at his word. It relies upon the prom- 
ises, both as they respect this life and the next. 
It takes warning from many parts of Scripture. 
It rejoices in solid scriptural encouragement. 
It relies upon God's word as testimony that is 
infallible. Whatever God speaks, faith be- 
lieves. It receives all he has said. The word 
of God liveth and abideth for ever. So faith 
receives it as his word, and not as the word of 
man. His authority is perfect. 

But saving faith has special reference to 
Christ. So the Scriptures often teach. ''Who 



180 VITAL GODLINESS. 

is he that overcometh the world, but he that 
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ?" " If 
we receive the witness of men, the witness of 
God is greater ; for this is the witness of God, 
which he hath testified of his Son. He that 
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness 
in himself: he that believeth not God hath 
made him a liar, because he believeth not the 
record that God gave of his Son. And this is 
the record, that God hath given to us eternal 
life ; and this life is in his Son." '' Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlast- 
ing life." ''He that believeth on him is not 
condemned." In God's word the great theme 
is Christ Jesus. '' To him give all the proph- 
ets witness." '' The testimony of Jesus is the 
spirit of prophecy." If to deny the Father is 
fatal, so is it also to deny the Son. If to do 
despite to the Spirit of grace involves the loss 
of the soul, to reject Christ as the Saviour 
makes destruction inevitable. But to receive 
Christ, to rest upon him, to look to him, to 
come to him, to flee to him for refuge, to take 
him as our Sacrifice, as our Prophet, Priest, 
and King, and to do this heartily, is the great 
office of saving faith. 



FAITH. 181 

This faith is not of equal strength in all 
believers, nor in the same believer at all times. 
We read of "him that is weak in faith," of 
'kittle faith," and of ''great faith." Faith 
grows by the divine blessing. The faith of 
some grows "exceedingly." Every true dis- 
ciple says, "Lord, I believe; help thou my 
unbelief." It finally gains every needful vic- 
tory. In some cases it is matured into full 
assurance. This is all through Christ, who 
begins, carries on, and perfects the work of 
faith in us by his Spirit and grace. 

This whole view of faith is consistent with 
itself and with all the Scriptures. It explains 
many things which otherwise would seem to us 
enigmatical. 

First, we see why faith always was and 
always will be necessary. "By faith Abel 
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice 
than Cain." This was the religion of those 
early times. " When the Son of man cometh, 
shall he find faith on the earth ?" This will 
be the religion of the latest times. The rea- 
son why no man was ever able or shall ever 
be able to please God without faith, is, that 
unbelief at every step sets aside all that God 
has said and done for man^s salvation. He 



182 VITAL GODLINESS. 

wlio would be saved in unbelief, would put 
perpetual contempt on all the arrangements of 
heaven for the recovery of lost men. 

We also see how reasonable it is that faith 
should be required of us. "Have faith in 
Grod." "Believe in the Lord your God, so 
shall ye be established.'' "This is the work 
of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath 
sent." "Be not faithless, but believing.'' 
These are but specimens of the authoritative 
tones in which God speaks to us on this sub- 
ject. He could not say less if he sought our 
good. To permit us to live in unbelief would 
be to license all sin. 

We can also now understand why the minds 
of truly religious people are so ready to take 
up with God's offers of grace and mercy. Be- 
lieving all God says, they of course receive as 
true all that he has alleged concerning their 
fallen and depraved condition. In other words, 
they find out that they are sinners, lost, guilty, 
vile, and helpless. To such the gospel is always 
good news. It is indeed life from the dead to 
a poor convinced sinner, to see the door of 
mercy wide open, and Christ standing ready 
to receive all that come to him. 

It is also clear that our friends can do for 



FAITH. 183 

US nothing more kind than earnestly to pray 
that our faith may abound. As Paul says, 
"We pray always for you that our God would 
count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all 
the good pleasure of his goodness, and the 
work of faith with power." Nor should we 
cease to implore the same blessing for our- 
selves. He who has right views in this mat- 
ter will never lean on himself, nor trust in his 
own goodness, or wisdom, or power. Boston 
well says, "Faith goes out of itself for all its 
wants." Its trust in Another is at war with all 
self-reliance. 

Thus faith always begets humility. It 
brings down the haughty to a sense of depen- 
dence. It takes away vain-glorious notions 
and boastings. Yenn says, "Faith, though it 
be weak and imperfect, instead of exalting 
itself against the justice of Grod, and standing 
before him in the confidence of a lie, puts all 
from itself, and gives the whole glory of our 
salvation where it is due." So that as faith 
goes abroad in quest of supplies, so it goes 
forth of itself to bestow its honors. Its un- 
ceasing language is, "Not unto us, not unto us, 
but to thy name give glory." 

We can also see the difference between im- 



184 VITAL GODLINESS. 

plicit and explicit faith. The former takes God 
at his word, obeys, and is at peace. The lat- 
ter would have every thing explained, and all 
difficulties removed, before it would trust the 
promise or obey the command. Implicit faith 
first relies, then proves. Explicit faith would 
first prove, then trust. This made Bishop 
Hall say, "With men it is a good rule to try 
first, and then to trust; but with respect to 
Grod it is otherwise. I will first trust him as 
most wise, omnipotent, and merciful, and try 
him afterwards. It is as impossible for him to 
deceive me as not to be.'' "The school of God 
and nature require two contrary manners of 
proceeding. In the school of nature we must 
conceive, and then believe; in the school of 
God we must first believe, and then we shall 
conceive. He that believes no more than he 
conceives, can never be a Christian ; nor he a 
philosopher that assents without reason. In 
nature's school we are taught to elicit the truth 
by logical discourse ; but God cannot endure a 
logician. In his school, he is the best scholar 
that reasons least and assents most. In divine 
things, I will conceive what I can f the rest I 
will believe and admire. Not a curious head, 
but a believing and plain heart is accepted 



FAITH. 185 

with God.'' The same is strongly expressed 
in other words by Goodwin: ''Of all acts of 
faith, this of pure trust doth honor God most, 
and hath indeed more of faith in it : the purer 
the trust is, the greater the trust is ; and the 
greater the trust is, the greater the faith is; 
and the greater the faith, the more honor comes 
to God." Mason also says, "Men would j&rst 
see, and then believe ; but they must first be- 
lieve, and then see.'' Our Saviour said, ''Thom- 
as, because thou hast seen me, thou hast be- 
lieved: blessed are they that have not seen, 
and yet have believed." Of course, implicit 
faith in man, or in any system of doctrines 
taught by men, is great folly. There we have 
a right to demand explanation, reasons, proof. 
But when God says a thing is so, the more 
simply, promptly, and firmly we believe what 
he says the better. It is the height of wisdom 
to receive every word of God as pure and true, 
asking no questions expressive of doubt or 
distrust. 

And yet faith, even the simplest and stron- 
gest, is not irrational, nor foolish. JSTo man 
acts so wisely as he who implicitly believes 
God. Abraham never showed that his facul- 
ties were so well regulated and orderly as when 



186 VITAL GODLINESS. 

he went straight forward at Grod's bidding to 
sacrifice Isaac. He asked no reasons, he stat- 
ed no difficulties ; he simply did as he had been 
commanded, and staggered not through unbe- 
lief. The reason why faith is so wise is, be- 
cause it reposes confidence in God, who cannot 
lie, cannot change, cannot fail, cannot be de- 
ceived, thwarted, or even perplexed; who 
sees the end from the beginning, who loves 
beyond all names of love known to mortals, or 
even to angels ; a God and Saviour who never 
trampled on a broken heart, who never de- 
spised the cry of the humble, who never left 
the penitent to perish in their sins, and who 
will infallibly bring to eternal glory all who 
take refuge in atoning blood. Implicit faith 
in each Person and in all the teachings of the 
Godhead is the height of wisdom and virtue 
among men, though implicit faith in any other, 
even in an angel from heaven, would be folly. 
Jer. 17:5; Gal. 1 : 8. 

The view already given of faith harmonizes 
well with the definitions given of it by all 
sound writers. 

The following is a good definition: '' Justi- 
fying faith is a saving grace wrought in the 
heart of a sinner by the Spirit and word of 



FAITH. 187 

God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin 
and misery, and of the disability in himself and 
all other creatures to recover him out of his 
lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth 
of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and 
resteth upon Christ and his righteousness there- 
in held forth for the pardon of sin, and for the 
accepting and accounting his person righteous 
in the sight of God for salvation." 

Haldane says, "Justifying faith is the be- 
lief of the testimony of Christ, and trust in him 
who is the subject of that testimony. It is 
believing with the hearth 

Mason says, "Reliance is the essence of 
faith. Christ is the object, the word is the 
food, and obedience the proof; so that true 
faith is a depending on Christ foK salvation, in 
a way of obedience, as he is offered in the gos- 
pel." 

Dr. Archibald Alexander says, "A full 
persuasion of the truth revealed is faith in 
every case ; but when the truth believed is a 
divine promise, this persuasion is of the nature 
of trust or confidence." 

Dwight says, "The faith of the gospel is 
that emotion of the mind which is called trust 
or confidence, exercised towards the moral 



188 VITAL OODLINESS. 

character of God, and particularly of the Sav- 
iour.'' 

Charnock says, ''Faith is a receiving the 
testimony of Christ in the certainty of it and 
in the extent of it — the testimony of God's 
promises to encourage us, of his precepts to 
direct us, of his threatenings to awe us and 
make us adhere faster to him ; a resting in this 
testimony as certain, as the centre of our souls, 
the only foundation of our hopes. God is the 
ultimate object of faith, Christ the immediate 
object of faith. Christ gives the testimony; 
God is the subject of that testimony. When 
the witness Christ gives of the things he hath 
seen and heard, is received to be rested in as 
the ground of our hope and the rule of our 
walk, this is faith." 

Dr. Hodge says, "Faith is not the mere 
assent of the mind to the truth of certain prop- 
ositions. It is a cordial persuasion of the truth, 
founded on the experience of its power, or the 
spiritual perception of its nature, and on the 
divine testimony. Faith is therefore a moral 
exercise. Men believe with the heart in the 
ordinary scriptural meaning of that word ; and 
no faith which does not proceed from the heart 
is connected with justification." 



FAITH. 189 

John Owen, speaking of the way of life by 
Christ Jesus, says, "That faith which works 
in the soul a gracious persuasion of the excel- 
lency of this way, by a sight of the glory, wis- 
dom, power, grace, love, and goodness of God 
in it, so as to be satisfied with it as the best, 
the only way of coming unto God, with a re- 
nunciation of all other ways and means unto 
that end, will at all times evidence its nature 
and sincerity.'^ 

Without further comparing formal defini- 
tions on this subject, it may be said that sound 
writers fully agree with the Scriptures in rep- 
resenting faith as a simple act of the mind, in 
which both the understanding and will are 
united ; that the light of knowledge goes before 
it so far as to reveal the mind of God, and so 
it is not blind and credulous, but sober, watch- 
ful, and intelligent ; and that it is the fruit of 
warm affections, and so is not cold, speculative, 
and without practical effect. Dr. A. Alexander 
says, "Faith is one simple exercise of the mind, 
including, however, both the understanding 
and will." John Calvin says, "The seat of 
faith is not in the brain, but in the heart ; not 
that I wish to enter into any dispute concern- 
ing the part of the body which is the seat of 



190 VITAL GODLINESS. 

faith, but since the word heart generally means 
a serious, sincere, ardent affection, I am desir- 
ous to show the confidence of faith to be a firm, 
efficacious, and operative principle in all the 
emotions and feelings of the soul, not a mere 
naked notion of the head." 

Nearly all sound and lucid writers are care- 
ful to express in so many words their view of 
faith, as being more than mere assent of the 
mind to the truth proposed. ' ' With the heart 
man believeth unto righteousness, and with 
the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 
Rom. 10:10. Mason says, "Assurance sets 
the notion of faith too high, assent too low." 
John Newton says, "Assent maybe the act of 
our natural reason ; faith is the effect of imme- 
diate almighty power. Assent is often given 
where it has little or no influence upon the 
conduct. Faith is always efficacious." 

The effects of saving faith are many and of 
great value. Indeed they are so important, 
that without them salvation in any of its bene- 
fits is impossible. 

1. True faith is the instrument of a sinner's 
justification before Grod. So the Scriptures 
abundantly teach. "The just shall live by 
faith." "Abraham believed Grod, and it was 



FAITH. 191 

counted to him for righteousness.'^ ''Being 
justified by faith, we have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ.'' "Therefore 
we conclude that a man is justified by faith 
without the deeds of the law." " If righteous- 
ness come by the law, then is Christ dead in 
vain." Here is a grand result. Sin is forgiven 
and the sinner is accepted simply by believing 
on Him who is the end of the law for righteous- 
ness to every one that believeth. This is in- 
deed a mystery and an offence to many. ''Jus- 
tification by sanctification is man's way to 
heaven, and he will make a little serve the 
turn. Sanctification by justification is Grod's, 
and he fills the soul with his own fulness." 
God's way is as mighty as it is wise. There is 
great historical verity in the statement of Sir 
James Mackintosh, that "the Calvinistic peo- 
ple of Scotland, Switzerland, and New England 
have been more moral than the same classes 
among other nations. Those who preached 
faith, or in other words, a pure mind, have al- 
ways produced more popular virtue than those 
who preached good acts, or the mere regulation 
of outward works." Justification by faith alone 
is a doctrine highly promotive of holiness. 
2. Adoption is also by faith. "To as many 



192 VITAL GODLINESS. 

as received him, to them gave he power to 
become the sons of God, even to as many as 
believed on his name." ''Ye are all the sons 
of Grod by faith in Jesus Christ." What a 
wonderful effect is this: a child of the devil 
becomes a child of God, an heir of perdition is 
changed into an heir of glory, and all by reli- 
ance on the word of God, and by confidence 
in the person and merits of Jesus Christ. No 
wonder believers have ever celebrated the 
wonders of faith. 

3. Besides obtaining justification and adop- 
tion, we also by faith are made partakers of 
the Holy Spirit to all the ends of illumination, 
sanctification, and encouragement in the Lord. 
Christ says, "He that believe th on me, out of 
him shall flow rivers of living water. This 
spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe 
on him should receive." There is no success, 
progress, or comfort in religion, but through 
this blessed Spirit. To receive him in his ful- 
ness of grace, is to secure the earnest of all 
good things, the pledge of heaven itself. "If 
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is 
none of his." But if a man have the Spirit of 
Christ, nothing can prove him a castaway, a 
reprobate, an enemy. 



FAITH. 193 

4. Saving faith is an infallible sign of regen- 
eration. None ever thus believed but those 
who "were born, not of blood, nor of the will 
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of Grod." 
''Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, 
is born of Grod.'^ Grenuine faith being ours, 
our regeneration is no longer doubtM. Char- 
nock says, "Faith is of absolute necessity to 
regeneration. . . Faith is a radical, vital grace ; 
as blood in the veins is to the body, so is faith 
to the soul. No regeneration without the 
Spirit ; and faith is the first grace the Spirit 
infuseth." 

5. The powerful effect of true faith in puri- 
fying the heart is among its transcendent bless- 
ings. This chiefly makes the difference be- 
tween it and the faith of devils. It awakens 
intense hatred of sin, eager longings after holi- 
ness, blessed hopes of attaining complete con- 
formity to Grod, and a purpose to do right, 
whatever may be the result. There is no 
effectual purifying of the heart but by faith — 
by faith laying hold of Christ, and obeying the 
truth. Hooker well says, "To make a wicked 
and sinfnl man most holy through his believ- 
ing, is more than to create a world of nothing." 

6. Another effect of true faith is, to enkin- 

VlUl CkHlllQeBS. 9 



194 VITAL GODLINESS. 

die tlie affections. "It works by love." It 
draws out tlie heart intensely after Christ. 
"To you that believe he is precious;'^ or, as it 
might be rendered, "preciousness.'^ It indeed 
causes a wholesome fear of Grod ; but its reign- 
ing power is not that of terror, but of love. 
This sways every thing, counts no sacrifice for 
Christ too great, and gladly yields all to hinio 
"The love of Christ constraineth us." 

7. Another effect of faith is, that it over- 
comes the world, and so is unlike every kind 
of dead faith. 1 John 5:4. To gain a victory 
over the world is more than philosophy ever 
did, more than unaided nature ever made a 
tolerable show of doing, more than ever was 
done but by one who had the faith of Jesus. 
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and 
the pride of life are too strong for any but the 
power of God working by the Spirit in the 
hearts of believers. Therefore, God saves no 
man but by working this faith in him. Thus 
we read, "As many as were ordained to eter- 
nal life believed." If God designs any saving 
good to you, the first infallible evidence of it 
will be, that he will work faith in you. 

8. Faith is the great foster-parent of all 
that belongs to scriptural piety. It begets 



FAITH. 195 

true worship, godly fear, devout thanksgiying, 
genuine humility, Christian boldness, holy joy, 
evangelical repentance, enlarged liberality, 
fervent love, a pure conscience, a holy life, 
and final victory. Arrowsmith says, "Faith 
can support when nature shrinks; faith can 
call Grod Father when he frowns, and make 
some discovery of a sun through the darkest 
cloud." I had rather be able to walk in dark- 
ness, and have no light, and yet trust in the 
Lord, than to work miracles and subdue king- 
doms. There are no offerings like those of 
faith. It makes no conditions. It makes no 
reserves. It cavils not. It falters not. It 
gazes upon the cross till the course of the new 
nature is set on fire with heavenly love. It 
best of all promotes its own interest by utterly 
forgetting itself, and so realizes what a class 
of writers have asserted, that "true greatness is 
unconscious.'^ Like the ^ronaut, the believer 
rises by throwing over all that could weigh 
him down to earth. And as faith is self- 
renouncing, so it goes forth to glorify God. 
John Owen says, "It is the proper nature of 
faith to issue itself in the admiration of that 
which is infinite." It consents to be as noth- 
ing, that God may be all and in all. It ex- 



196 VITAL GODLINESS. 

eludes boasting. Rom. 3 : 27. It is as jealous 
for Grod's honor as it is for personal salvation. 
Like the sun in nature, so faith in the new na- 
ture serves and warms all around it and under 
its influence. It begets repentance. Jonah 
3:5. It kindles love to an unseen Saviour. 
1 Pet. 1:8. It begets forgiveness to enemies. 
Luke 17 : 3-5. It is the great means by which 
the Grod of hope fills his people with all joy 
and peace. Rom. 15 : 13. It gives all the 
stability we have. Rom. 11 : 20. It nourishes 
other graces, as did Joseph his brethren in 
Egypt. It ever claims and clings to a fulness 
in Christ. It makes the soul willing to wait a 
thousand years for an explanation of an act of 
providence. It is ever laying its crown at the 
feet of Immanuel, and giving God the glory. 
It puts things in their proper place. It abases 
the sinner in the dust. It sets God on the 
throne of universal dominion, and Christ upon 
the mercy-seat. It pronounces all God's ways 
just and equal. It consents to the law that it 
is holy,, just, and good. It receives Ae gospel 
as glad tidings of great joy, and cries, "How 
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of 
him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth 
peace ; that bringeth good tidings of good, that 



FAITH. 197 

publisheth salvation, that saith. unto Zion, Thy • 
God reigneth." It welcomes, and does not 
pervert, the doctrine of a gratuitous salvation. 
It says of the Saviour, "Thou art the Christ, 
the Son of the living God." It cries, "God 
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." Yea, it counts all 
things but loss for the excellency of the know- 
ledge of God's dear Son. 

No marvel that inspired writers so much 
celebrate a grace that brings such good to man 
and such glory to God. They call it "precious 
faith." They say it is common to all the peo- 
ple of God. They declare a man blessed who 
has even the least unfeigned faith. They say, 
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, 
and the evidence of things not seen." That is, 
"it gives the object hooped for at some future 
period a present subsistence in the soul, as if 
already possessed." "Faith is also the evi- 
dence, the internal conviction, the demonstra- 
tion of all unseen things." A believer acts as 
really upon the existence of things invisible, 
future, eternal, and hoped for, as he does upon 
his past experience or his intuitive perceptions. 
Even "the trial of your faith" is said to be 
"much more precious than of gold that perish- 



198 VITAL GODLINESS. 

eth, though it be tried with fire;'^ and shall 
''be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, 
at the appearing of Jesus Christ.'^ When 
inspiration would hold up God's sovereignty 
to the admiration of all right-minded men, it 
says, "Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath 
not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in 
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath 
promised to them that love him ?" In short, a 
scheme of religion without faith would be as 
futile and powerless as a scheme of mercy 
without a Saviour. 

It is indeed true that faith shall not, like 
love, last and flourish for ever ; but like hope, 
it shall give place to a new state. Faith shall 
be changed into sight, and hope into enjoy- 
ment. In this sense, love is greater than either 
of these graces. 1 Cor. 13:13. But this is 
not to their discredit. In this life, they do 
what no other graces can accomplish. In par- 
ticular, faith unites to Christ, lays hold of sal- 
vation, conquers every foe, brings every bless- 
ing into the soul, pronounces death abolished, 
crying, ''Death is swallowed up in victory. 
death, where is thy sting ? grave, where 
is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin, and 
the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be 



FAITH. 199 

to God, which giveth us the victory through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." Oh it is worth a life- 
time of toil, suffering, and self-denial, to be 
able in the end to say with Paul, ''I know 
whom I have believed ; and am persuaded 
that he is able to keep that which I have com- 
mitted to him against that day;" or, ''I am 
now ready to be offered, and the time of my 
departure is at hand. I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept 
the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me a 
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; 
and not to me only, but also unto all them 
that love his appearing." One of Halybur- 
ton's dying sayings was, ' ' The little acquaint- 
ance I have had with God within these two 
days, has more than ten thousand times repaid 
the pains I have in all my life taken with re- 
ligion. It is good to have God to go to when 
we are turning our ' face to the wall.^ ' He is 
known for a refuge in the palaces of Zion ; a 
very present help in trouble.' " ^ 

In applying this discussion to practical use, 
observe, 

1. The life of a Christian is one of war. 
The powers of darkness and the powers of 



200 VITAL GODLINESS. 

light make his soul the arena of deadly strife, 
the battle-field where their legions contend for 
victory. There is nothing good but it has its 
opposite. Arrayed against God is Satan. If 
Grod has given his law, Satan also issues his 
precepts. 

Many, very wicked, and false are the great 
principles, the common maxims of Satan's king- 
dom, endorsed by the lives of wicked men, and 
pleasing to the natural heart. Who can resist 
their power? No one who is left to his own 
strength. Without lively faith in Grod, every 
man will but serve the wicked one. Without 
faith in Christ, the love of sin cannot be over- 
come. In this war we shall utterly fail without 
faith in G-od, without the help that comes from 
God by faith in Christ Jesus. Bridge well says, 
'^True, saving, justifying faith carries the sou] 
through all difficulties, discouragements, and 
natural impossibilities, to Jesus Christ.'' Be 
not cast down because the war lasts long, or 
because the conflict is terrible. Fight on^ 
Entangle not yourself with the things of this 
world. Be of good courage. Quit you like 
men. Be strong. 

2. We see from this subject the wisdom of 
submitting all our sentiments and practices to 



FAITH. 201 

God's word in the spirit of docility. '' Do not 
teacli the Bible, but let the Bible teach you." 
Come not to the study of God's word as a judge 
or a critic, but as a child, a scholar, a criminal. 
The world is full of mournful cases of persons 
who believed what was agreeable and rejected 
all else. The result has always been sad. 
Many examples might be given. " An author- 
ess somewhat celebrated, who had declared 
her preference for the god of Thomson's Sea- 
sons or of Hutchinson's Ethics over the God 
revealed to the patriarchs, in her old age thus 
wrote : 

"What does life offer past eighty? For 
my own part, I only find that many things I 
knew, I have forgotten ; many things I thought 
I knew, I find I knew nothing about; some 
things I know, I have found not worth know- 
ing ; and some things I would give — Oh, what 
would not one give ? — to know, are beyond the 
reach of human ken. The powers of man 
strive — how vainly! — to penetrate the veil, 
to pierce the thick darkness which covers the 
future. Life seems of no value but for what 
lies beyond; and yet our views of the future 
are perhaps cheerful or gloomy, according to 
the weather or our nerves." Lo, this is the 



202 VITAL GODLINESS. 

woman who preferred the God of nature to the 
God of grace; whose imagination ruled her 
creed j whose fancy governed her faith. 

How strong is the contrast between such 
faith and such dark views of life and those of 
that eminent servant of God, Mrs. Hannah 
More, who at eighty says, " When and whither 
belong to him who governs both worlds. I 
have nothing to do but to trust. I bless God 
I enjoy great tranquillity of mind, and am will- 
ing to depart and be with Christ when it is his 
will ; but I leave it in His hands who does all 
things well." Still later in life she exclaimed, 
'' God of life and light, whom have I in heaven 
but thee? Happy, happy are those who are 
expecting to meet in a better world. The 
thought of that world lifts the mind above itself. 
glorious grace ! It is a glorious thing to 
die." 

If you wish a useful life, a pleasant old age, 
a comfortable death, or a blissful immortality, 
believe God, trust to his grace, rely on his Son. 
Mingle not human and divine helps and hopes. 
Rely on God alone as your Father, on Christ 
alone as your Redeemer, on the Holy Ghost 
alone as your Comforter. Charnock says, ''He 
that hath many things to trust to, is in sus- 



FAITH. 203 

pense which he should take hold of ; but when 
there is but one left, with what greediness will 
he clasp about that. Grod cuts down worldly 
props, that we might make him our stay.'' 
John Newton says, '' Grace and faith can 
make the lowest state of life supportable, and 
make a dismission from the highest desirable." 
Yield your understanding to be- taught of God ; 
yield your heart to be purified and educated 
for God; yield your life a sacrifice to God. 
All this is your reasonable service. To do less 
is to rob God. Eemember that nothing will 
stand the test of experience but that which 
will endure the trial of a fair comparison with 
Scripture. Always believe just what God has 
revealed for your salvation. If some things 
are not pleasant at first, they may still be use- 
ful through life, and in the end a fountain of 

joy. 

3. It may be proper here to say that assur- 
ance, or freedom from all doubt, is not of the 
essence of faith. '' There is as much difference 
between faith and assurance, as there is be- 
tween the root and the fruit," says Mason. He 
who says that one without assurance has no 
faith, might as well say that an infant is not a 
human being. The greatest source of unhap- 



204 VITAL GODLINESS. 

piness to the pious is the weakness of their 
faith. It was sad to hear Jacob crying out, 
''All these things are against me.'^ They were 
in fact all for him and for his family. Assur- 
ance may be lost. Grenuine faith cannot. Da- 
vid lost his assurance, but he did not cease to 
be a believer. Assurance is a jBlower that opens 
with the sun and shuts at night. But faith 
grows and flourishes in cloudy weather, in the 
shade, and even in total darkness. Assurance 
indeed is the faith of Grod's people matured, 
full-grown, perfected. It is every way desir- 
able and vastly consolatory, and certainly at- 
tainable. We should all seek it, pray and 
labor for it ; and if we attain it, take good heed 
that we lose it not. We should never forget 
that assurance is as purely the gift of Grod as 
the least degree of faith. It is greatly to be 
lamented that the faith of so many seems sick- 
ly. Strong faith is one of the best gifts. Yet 
let none forget that little faith, when genuine, 
is pleasing to Grod, and unites to Christ. ''As- 
suredly the least exercise of true faith in Christ 
constitutes a man his disciple," says Dr. Scott. 
To be able to come trembling and touch the 
hem of Christ's garment, as surely proves us in 
the coT^nant as to have a faith that will re- 



FAITH. 206 

move mountains. This view is the more im- 
portant, as true believers are always modest, 
and have a low opinion of their own attain- 
ments in all respects. There is many a man 
who cannot deny that he has some faith, who 
yet regards himself as the least of all saints, 
the most faltering of all the true friends of God. 
This may be the case with the most eminent 
saints. Let us never teach nor embrace a 
doctrine which would fill such with sadness. 

4. The great guilt and misery of the un- 
converted are found in their want of faith. 
Unbelief is their great sin. "This is the con- 
demnation, that light is come into the world, 
and men have loved darkness rather than 
light." The Spirit convinces the world of sin 
chiefly in this, because men believe not in 
Christ. The unhappiness of a state of unbelief 
is also fearful. It leaves the soul without any 
resource in trouble, without God in the world. 

Unbelief is the great parent and patron of 
other forms of wickedness. It fills the mind 
with wicked and violent prejudices, as in the 
case of the unbelieving Jews in the time of our 
Saviour, as in the case of unbelievers in our 
own day. It begets and nourishes a strong 
voluntary preference for the things of time 



206 VITAL GODLINESS. 

above those of eternity, for the riches of earth 
above the unsearchable riches of Christ, for 
the honor that cometh from man above the 
honor that cometh from God only, for the 
pleasures of sin for a season above the pleas- 
ures for evermore at Grod's right hand. It 
nourishes above all things else pride of intel- 
lect, of family, of learning, of spirit, of manli- 
ness, of personal virtue. It begets sloth, dul- 
ness of apprehension, want of inquiry. It gen- 
erates stubborn perversity. It makes men 
walk contrary to their strong convictions, their 
avowed principles. It mars or renounces all 
the duties of spiritual religion. It is revenge- 
ful, and will not forgive injuries. It is self- 
willed, and refuses to bow to the authority of 
Grod. It begets all feelings of disloyalty to 
God. It prevents all true spiritual worship. 
It annihilates the promises and abrogates the 
covenant of God in the case of all in whose 
hearts it has sway. It makes the death of 
Christ of none effect. It scornfully rejects the 
remedy provided for us in our ruined condi- 
tion. It is no wonder that God has said, "He 
that believeth not shall be damned." 

For men to profess to be peculiarly philo- 
sophical when they say that they believe what 



FAITH. 207 

they see and no more, is very absurd. Apply 
this rule to the things of this world, and who 
can properly believe that there is or ever was 
any man, city, island, or country, except those 
which he has seen ? When Grod testifies, un- 
belief is as unphilosophical as it is wicked. 
How absurd for a creature to make a point 
with the Creator; for a worm, of the dust to 
revise the decisions of infinite wisdom ; for a 
sinner to reject the Saviour because there are 
in the plan of salvation some things too deep 
to be sounded by the line of created intellect. 
In human nature there can be nothing 
blacker than unbelief. It impeaches God's 
wisdom, power, goodness, justice, mercy, truth, 
and faithfulness. It holds up the Grod of truth 
as unworthy of credit. It makes him a liar. 
It charges him with perjury. It derides all 
his goodness and despises all his mercy. It 
makes light of the bloody sweat and dying ag- 
onies of his dear Son. It is a sin against the 
law, against the gospel, against the divine 
attributes, against every Person in the God- 
head, against the highest testimonies, against 
our own best interests, against the only way of 
life and salvation. Without faith it is impos- 
sible to please God. 



208 VITAL GODLINESS. 

5. Let all labor for an increase of faith. 
Let them resort to all lawful endeavors for the 
growth of this principle. Venn says, "Soli- 
tude is a great cherisher of faith; were we 
more alone to pray and look back upon our- 
selves, not to find any good, but to observe 
more of the amazing blindness of heart, unbe- 
lief, selfishness, and vile idolatry, which so 
benumb our feelings of the love of Christ ; 
were we to be more alone for these purposes, 
we should enjoy more of the presence and joy 
of Grod." The reading of good religious biog- 
raphy, and in particular of the sufferings of the 
martyrs, does, with the divine blessing, mightily 
strengthen the faith of God's people. For the 
same reason we should rejoice in all tribula- 
tion, because under God it strengthens the 
faith of all his people. Blessed is the man 
who bj^ faith lays up a good foundation against 
the time to come. 

6. We should especially so live and labor 
that we may die in faith. How blessed is he 
who is permitted to close his earthly existence 
in the confidence of that holy belief which dis- 
arms death of all stings and terrors. But this 
is not to be expected after a life of careless- 
ness. Good old Willison gives ' ' these advices '^ 



FAITH. 209 

to all who would be so happy as to die in faith : 
*'l. Be careful to get faith beforehand; for 
death is a time to use faith, not to get it. They 
were foolish virgins who had their oil to buy 
when the bridegroom was close at hand. 2. 
Study to live every day in the exercise of 
faith, and be still improving, and making use 
of Christ in all his ofi&ces, and for all those ends 
and uses for which God hath given them to 
believers. 3. Frequently clear up your evi- 
dences for heaven, and beware of letting sin 
blot them to you. 4. Kecord and lay up the 
experiences of God's dealings with you, and be 
often reflecting upon them, that you may have 
them ready at hand in the hour of death. 
Lastly, meditate much on those promises which 
have been sweet and comfortable to you in the 
time of trials, and beg that the Lord may bring 
them to your remembrance when you come to 
die." 

In short, a life of faith is the only sure 
pledge of a death of faith, and a death without 
faith is a death without hope. 

"Faith lights us tlirough. the dark to Deity; 
Faith builds a bridge across the gulf of death, - 
To break the shock that nature cannot shun, 
And lands thought smoothly on the further shore. " 



210 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER XI. 

KEPENTANCE. 

Repentance belongs exclusively to the 
religion of sinners. It has no place in the 
exercises of unfallen creatures. He who has 
never done a sinful act, nor had a sinful nature, 
needs neither forgiveness, conversion, nor re- 
pentance. Holy angels never repent. They 
have nothing to repent of. This is so clear 
that it is needless to argue the matter. But 
sinners need all these blessings. To them 
they are indispensable. The wickedness of the 
human heart makes it necessary. Under all 
dispensations, since our first parents were ex- 
pelled the garden of Eden, Grod has insisted on 
repentance. Among the patriarchs. Job said, 
'' I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." 
Under the law David wrote the thirty-second 
and fifty-first psalms. John the Baptist cried, 
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 
Christ's account of himself is that he '' came to 
call sinners to repentance." Just before his 
ascension, Christ commanded "that repentance 



REPENTANCE. 211 

and remission of sins should be preaclied in his 
name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusa- 
lem.^^ And the apostles taught the same doc- 
trine, "testifying both to the Jews, and also to 
the Greeks, repentance towards Grod, and faith 
towards our Lord Jesus Christ." So that any 
system of religion among men which should not 
include repentance, would upon its very face 
be false. Matthew Henry says, "If the heart 
of man had continued upright and unstained, 
divine consolations might have been received 
without this painful operation preceding; but 
being sinful, it must first be pained before it 
can be laid at ease, must labor before it can be 
at rest. The sore must be searched, or it can- 
not be cured." " The doctrine of repentance 
is right gospel doctrine. Not only the austere 
Baptist, who was looked upon as a melancholy, 
morose man, but the sweet and gracious Jesus, 
whose lips dropped as a honey-comb, preached 
repentance ; for it is an unspeakable privilege 
that room is left for repentance." This doc- 
trine will not be amiss while the world stands. 
Though repentance is an obvious and oft- 
commanded duty, yet it cannot be truly and 
acceptably performed except by the grace of 
God. It is a gift from heaven. Paul directs 



212 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Timothy in meekness to instruct those that 
oppose themselves, "if Grod peraclventure will 
give them repentance to the acknowledging of 
the truth.'' Christ is exalted a Prince and a 
Saviour ''to give repentance." So when the 
heathen were brought in, the church glorified 
Grod, saying, ''Then hath God also to the Gen- 
tiles granted repentance unto life.'' All this 
is according to the tenor of the Old Testament 
promises. There God says he will do this 
work for us and in us. Listen to his gracious 
words : " A new heart also will I give you, and 
a new spirit will I put within you ; and I will 
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, 
and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I 
will put my Spirit within you, and cause you 
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my 
judgments, and do them." So that true re- 
pentance is a special mercy from God. He 
gives it. It comes from none other. It is im- 
possible for poor fallen nature so far to recover 
herself by her own strength as truly to repent. 
The heart is wedded to its own ways, and jus- 
tifies its own sinful courses with incurable ob- 
stinacy, until divine grace makes the change. 
No motives to good are strong enough to over- 
come depravity in the natural heart of man. 



REPENTANCE. 213 

If ever we attain this grace, it must be through 
the great love of God to perishing men. 

Yet repentance is most reasonable. No 
man acts wisely till he repents. When the 
prodigal came to himself, he went straightway 
to his father. It is so obviously proper that 
he who has done wrong should be heartily 
sorry for it, and never do so any more, that 
some infidels have asserted that repentance 
was sufficiently taught by natural religion 
without the Bible. But this is a mistake. The 
true doctrine of repentance is understood no- 
where but in Christian countries, and not even 
there by infidels. Besides, that which is re- 
quired of us may be very reasonable, and yet 
be very repugnant to men's hearts. When 
called to duties which we are reluctant to per- 
form, we are easily persuaded that they are 
unreasonably exacted of us. It is therefore 
always helpful to us to have a command of 
God binding our consciences in any case. It 
is truly benevolent in God to speak to us so 
authoritatively in this matter. " God now 
commandeth all men everywhere to repent." 
The ground of the command is that all men 
everywhere are sinners. Our blessed Saviour 
was without sin, and of course he could not 



214 VITAL GODLINESS. 

repent. With that solitary exception, since 
the fall there has not been found any just per- 
son who needed no repentance. And none are 
more to be pitied than those poor deluded men 
who see in their hearts and lives nothing to 
repent of. 

But what is true repentance? This is a 
question of the highest importance. It de- 
serves our closest attention. The following is 
probably as good a definition as has yet been 
given. ' ' Repentance unto life is an evangeli- 
cal grace, whereby a sinner, out of the sight 
and sense not only of the danger, but also of 
the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as con- 
trary to the holy nature and righteous law of 
Grod, and upon the apprehension of his mercy 
in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for 
and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto 
Grocl, purposing and endeavoring to walk with 
him in all the ways of his commandments." 
That this definition is sound and scriptural will 
appear more and more clearly the more thor- 
oughly it is examined. True repentance is 
sorrow for sin, ending in reformation. Mere 
regret is not repentance, neither is mere out- 
ward reformation. It is not an imitation of 
virtue, it is virtue itself. Hooker says, ''Is 



EEPENTANCE. 215 

it not clear that as an inordinate delight did 
first begin sin, so repentance must begin with 
a just sorrow, a sorrow of heart, and such a 
sorrow as rendeth the heart ; neither a feigned 
nor a slight sorrow : not feigned, lest it in- 
crease sin ; nor slight, lest the pleasures of sin 
overmatch it." 

He who truly repents, is chiefly sorry for 
his sins. He whose repentance is spurious, is 
chiefly concerned for their consequences. The 
former chiefly regrets that he has done evil; 
the latter that he has incurred evil. One sorely 
laments that he deserves punishment ; the other 
that he must suffer punishment. One approves 
of the law which condemns him ; the other 
thinks he is hardly treated, and that the law 
is rigorous. To the sincere penitent sin ap- 
pears exceeding sinful. To him who sorrows 
after a worldly sort, sin, in so7ne form, appears 
pleasant. He regrets that it is forbidden. One 
says it is an evil and bitter thing to sin against 
God, even if no punishment followed. The 
other sees little evil in transgression if there 
were no painful consequences sure to follow. 
If there were no hell, the one would still wish 
to be delivered from sin. If there were no 
retribution, the other would sin with increased 



216 VITAL GODLINESS. 

greediness. The true penitent is cMefly averse 
to sin as it is an offence against God. This 
embraces all sins of every description. But it 
has often been observed that two classes of 
sins seem to rest with great weight on the con- 
science of those whose repentance is of a godly 
sort. These are secret sins, and sins of omis- 
sion. On the other hand, in a spurious repent- 
ance the mind is much inclined to dwell on 
open sins, and on sins of commission. The 
true penitent knows the plague of an evil heart 
and a fruitless life. The spurious penitent is 
not much troubled about the real state of heart, 
but grieves that appearances are so much 
against him. 

David says, ''Against thee, thee only have 
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.'' 
Whether we interpret these words to mean that 
he had sinned secretly as to men, but in plain 
view of God, or as expressing that God had 
been chiefly dishonored by his sins, will not in 
the end make any practical difference. Both 
are true. Home and some others incline to 
the former view. But the majority of good 
writers seem to favor the latter interpretation. 
Bishop Hall says, "It is thy prohibition, 
God, that can make a sin. I have sinned 



EEPENTANCE. 217 

against men, but it is thy law that I have vio- 
lated; in that is my offence." Bishop Pat- 
rick's paraphrase is, "Not because I stand in 
fear of punishment from men, who have no 
power over me, but because I am so obnoxious 
to thee, whose judgments I ought to dread the 
more the less I am liable to^give an account of 
my actions unto others." Scott says, ''David's 
crimes had deeply injured Bathsheba, Uriah, 
Joab, and the other accessaries to his mur- 
der. ... Yet the chief malignity of his con- 
duct consisted in this, that it was a complica- 
tion of most daring rebellions against the great 
and glorious Governor of the world ; contempt 
of his majesty, excellency, and righteous law. . . . 
This view seems to have possessed and over- 
whelmed his mind to such a degree as to make 
every other consideration appear comparative- 
ly as nothing." Matthew Henry adopts both 
views: "To God the affront is given, and he 
is the party wronged. It is his truth that by 
wilful sin we deny, his conduct that we de- 
spise,- his command that we disobey, his prom- 
ise that we distrust, his name that we dishon- 
or, and it is with him that we deal deceitfully 
and disingenuously." But he adds, "That it 
was committed in God's sight. This not only 

vital Godliness. 10 



218 VITAL GODLINESS. 

proves it upon me, but renders it 'exceeding 
sinful."' The greater the being sinned against, 
the greater is the sin. That in a very special 
and strong sense all sin is directed against 
God the Lawgiver, is clear from the nature of 
things, and from other parts of Scripture. 
Thus when murder is committed in a state, it 
is not chiefly the man who was killed nor his 
family, but the commonwealth, whose peace 
and dignity were infracted. Thus also the 
bloody persecutions against Grod's people are 
expressly said to have been against God. "He 
that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his 
eye.'' ''Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" 
It is indeed true that oftentimes some one 
sin is very prominent in the thoughts of the 
genuine penitent. Peter wept bitterly for hav- 
ing denied his Lord. David says of the mat- 
ter of Uriah, "My sin is ever before me." On 
these words Luther says, "That is, my sin 
plagues me, gives me no rest, no peace ; wheth- 
er I eat or drink, sleep or wake, I am always 
in terror of God's wrath and judgment."- And 
how often and penitently does Paul refer to the 
great sin of his life, the murder of the saints. 
Biddulph says, "He singled it out as the grand 
evidence of the natural malignity of his heart. 



EEPENTANCE. 219 

Though pardoned, accepted, renewed, and joy- 
ful in the salvation of his Lord and Saviour, he 
carried to the block of martyrdom the remem- 
brance of this sin.'' But though one sin may 
be first or most deeply impressed on the mind, 
yet in true repentance the mind does not rest 
there. The Samaritan woman was first con- 
victed of living with a man who was not her 
husband. But soon she says that Christ had 
told her all things that ever she did. On the 
day of Pentecost, Peter labored to convict his 
hearers of the guilt of Christ's death. He was 
successful to a great extent. The result was 
their repentance for all sin, and their conver- 
sion unto Grod. "He that repents of sin as 
sin, does implicitly repent of all sin." So soon 
and so clearly as he discovers the sinful nature 
of any thing, he abhors it. A wicked thought, 
no less than a vile word or evil deed, is for a 
loathing to the true penitent. The promise 
runs, "They shall loathe themselves for the 
evils which ihej have committed in all their 
abominations." So that if there were no be- 
ings in the universe but God and the true pen- 
itent, he would have very much the same emo- 
tions of sorrow and humiliation that he has now. 
And if instead of countless offences he was 



220 VITAL GODLINESS. 

conscious of comparatively few, the nature of 
his mental exercises would be the same as now. 
It is therefore true that he who ingenuously 
repents of sin, repents of all sin. To change 
one sin for another, even though it be less 
gross or more secret, is but disowning one en- 
emy of Grod to form an alliance with another. 

Nor is a true penitent afraid of humbling 
himself too much. He does not measure the 
degrees of his self-abasement before God. He 
would take the lowest place. He says, ''Be- 
hold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee?'' 
''0 God, thou knowest my foolishness, and 
my sins are not hid from thee," "All our 
righteousnesses are as filthy rags.'' ''If thou, 
Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, Lord, who 
shall stand ?" " Have mercy upon me, God, 
according to thy loving -kindness; according 
unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot 
out my transgressions." It is not of the nature 
of genuine lowliness of heart before Grod to be 
nice and careful not to get too prostrate in the 
dust. Its great fear is, that it will after all be 
proud and self-sufficient. 

The question is sometimes asked, whether 
every true penitent regards himself as the chief 
of sinners. If the question were of crimes. 



EEPENTANCE. 221 

against person or property, most penitents 
could easily find, in history or in the world, 
some who had excelled them in flagrant enor- 
mities. Nor is it possible for any but God 
absolutely and infallibly to say who is the 
greatest sinner that ever lived. But is it not 
true that every sinner who has truly repented, 
has seen more evil in his own heart and life 
than he ever saw in another? Comparing 
himself with the law, in its extent, holiness, 
and spirituality, taking a candid view of all 
that enters into a just estimate of his case, how 
can he but put his hand upon his mouth, and 
his mouth in the dust? Indeed, nothing but 
great self-ignorance enables any man to have 
a good opinion of himself. It is with good 
cause that God says, ''Know every man the 
plague of his own heart.'' " Commune with 
your own heart upon your bed, and be still." 
As soon as David properly thought on his 
ways, he turned his feet unto God's testimo- 
nies. come, ye proud ones, and cast your- 
selves at the footstool of God's mercy. "To 
be low, is the safest and comeliest posture for 
sinful creatures." True repentance has in it 
much profound humility. 

True repentance has in it also much shame. 



222 VITAL GODLINESS. 

This relates not only to open and disreputable 
crimes, but also to secret sins, to vain thoughts 
and evil imaginations. '' I blush to lift up my 
face to thee, my God." "Show the house of 
Israel that they may be ashamed for their ini- 
quities." He who does not blush for his sins, 
has never been truly ashamed of them; has 
never really and heartily forsaken them, i' The 
blush equally .as the tear becomes every sinner. 
To look back on the past with shame, no less 
than with sorrow, becomes him. If he has no 
cause to be ashamed before men, yet he has 
great cause to be ashamed before G-od. If we 
need not blush for our treatment of our fellow- 
creatures, yet ought we not to blush for our 
treatment of our Grod and Saviour ? All true 
penitents do blush as well as weep. They are 
ashamed as well as grieved for the things they 
have done.*' Nor does this shame cease .with 
the hope of pardon, but is rather thereby in- 
creased. So God says, "I will establish unto 
thee an everlasting covenant. Then thou shalt 
remember thy ways, and be ashamed. . . And 
I will establish my covenant with thee; and 
thou shalt know that I am the Lord ; that thou 
mayest remember, .and be confounded, and 
never open thy mouth any more because of 



EEPENTANCE. * 223 

thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee 
for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God." 
On this point, universal Christian experience 
fully accords with God's word. Paul never 
forgave himself for his cruel persecutions. Pe- 
ter never ceased to be ashamed of his cowardly 
denial of his Lord. David never ceased to be 
ashamed of his base conduct. 

This sorrow, humility, and shame are not 
merely for a wicked life, but for a sinful na- 
ture ; not only for actual, but also for original 
sin. This point seems to be clearly settled in 
the case of David, who, having confessed his 
guiltiness for personal misconduct, traces all 
up to the fountain of native depravity. Listen 
to his words of anguish : '' Behold, I was shapen 
in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive 
me." Not a spot is placed by inspired history 
on the character of David's father. He him- 
self records more than once the excellency of 
his mother. He cannot therefore here intend 
to allege any thing against their moral charac- 
ter, except as all who are descended from our 
first parents are corrupt. Bishop Home says, 
"No more can be intended here, than that a 
creature begotten by a sinner, and formed in 
the womb of a sinner, cannot be without that 



224 VITAL GODLINESS. 

taint which is hereditary to every son and 
daughter of Adam and Eve.'' In fact, David 
in this psalm is occupied with his own case, and 
only as he saw truth suited to make him sorry, 
humble, and ashamed, had he any occasion even 
to allude to others. President Davies, treat- 
ing of the nature of repentance, says, ''David's 
repentance reached his heart. Hence, in his 
penitential psalm, he not only confesses his be- 
ing guilty of the blood of Uriah, but that he 
was shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin, 
and earnestly prays. Create in me a dean heart, 
Ood, and renew a right spirit within me." 
Luther well says, "It is a great part of wis- 
dom for one to know that there is nothing good 
in us, but vain sin — that we do not think and 
speak so triflingly of sin as those who say that 
it is nothing else than the thoughts, words, and 
deeds which are contrary to the law of God. 
But if thou wilt rightly point out, according 
to this psalm, what sin is, thou must say that 
all is sin which is born of father and mother, 
even before the time that man is of age to 
know what to do, speak, or think." Calvin 
also says, "Now David does not confess him- 
self guilty merely of some one or more sins, as 
formerly, but he rises higher, that from his 



REPENTANCE. 225 

mother's womb he has brought forth nothing 
but sin, and by nature is wholly corrupt, and 
as it were immersed in sin. And certainly 
we have no solid convictions of sin, unless we 
are led to accuse our whole nature of corrup- 
tion. Nay, each single transgression ought to 
lead us to this general knowledge, that nothing 
but corruption reigns in all parts of our soul.'' 
If these views are correct, then it is vain for 
men to pretend to genuine repentance who re- 
nounce the doctrine of native depravity, or 
original sin. This doctrine holds an important 
place in all true religious experience. ' ' Though 
we cannot wash in original innocency, we must 
wash in ingenuous penitency." Eev. David 
Dickson therefore well says, "As original sin 
is common to all men by natural propagation, 
so is it not abolished out of the most holy in 
this life ; and as it is found to show itself in the 
children of God by actual transgressions, so 
must the evil thereof be acknowledged by 
them ; and that not to extenuate, but to aggra- 
vate their sin, as David showeth here." | 

A true penitent also reforms. A holy life 
is the invariable fruit of genuine repentance. 
''If I have done iniquity, I will do no more." 
Augustine says, " He truly repents of the sins 

10* 



226 VITAL GODLINESS. 

he has committed who does not commit the 
sins he has repented of.'^ When Ephraim sin- 
cerely repented, he utterly renounced idolatry, 
saying, ''What have I to do any more with 
idols?" He does not really confess sin who 
does not forsake it. He who hates sin turns 
from it. It was not the habit of David's life to 
commit murder and adultery, though he once 
did both ; nor of Peter to deny his Lord, and 
curse and swear, though he was once guilty of 
both these. A true penitent is not willing to 
be always sinning and repenting. We often 
read of "fruits meet for repentance,'^ or "fruits 
worthy of repentance." Paul, having said that 
"godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be 
repented of; but the sorrow of the world work- 
eth death," gives a very lively account of the 
effects of true repentance: "For behold this 
self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly 
sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, 
what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indig- 
nation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement 
desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge." 
Richard Baxter sa^^s, "True repentance is the 
very conversion of the soul from sin to God, 
and leaveth not any man in the power of sin. 
It is not for a man, when he hath had all the 



BEPENTANCE. 227 

pleasure that sin will yield him, to wish then 
that he had not committed it, which he may 
do then at an easy rate, and yet to keep the 
rest that are still pleasant and profitable to his 
flesh. Like a man that casts away the bottle 
which he hath drunk empty, but keeps that 
which is full. . . If thou have true repentance, 
it hath so far turned thy heart from sin, that 
thou wouldst not commit it if it were to do 
again, though thou hadst all the. same tempta- 
tions ; and it hath so far turned thy heart to 
Grod and holiness, that thou wouldest live a holy 
life if it were all to do again, though thou hadst 
the same temptations as afore. '^ Mason says, 
"Repentance begins in the humiliation of the 
heart, and ends in the reformation of the life." 
All repentance is to be repented of, until it 
leads to holiness. 

"Eepentance is the heart's sorrow, 
And a clear Hfe ensuing." 

Genuine repentance also draws its chief 
motives from the milder aspects of the divine 
character and the sweet influences of the cross. 
It is not the severity so much as the mercy of 
God that melts the heart. "The goodness of 
God leadeth thee to repentance." Rom. 2:14. 
It melts the heart when it sees God's kindness 



228 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and its own baseness. None but a soul not 
touclied by the finger of Grod can agree to be 
bad because God is good, or consent to a ca- 
reer of folly because the Lord is merciful. 
Repentance unto life invariably looks not 
merely at the goodness of God in creation and 
providence, but has a special regard to the 
work of redemption. ''They shall look on 
Him whom they have pierced, and mourn and 
be in bitterness." This is specially stated to 
have been the ground of the repentance of the 
three thousand on the day of Pentecost. It is 
so still. Nothing breaks the heart like a sight 
of Christ crucified. This is obtained by faith 
only. There can be no evangelical repentance 
without saving faith. Indeed, " the true tears 
of repentance flow from the eye of faith." To 
"repent and believe the gospel" are not sep- 
arate, though they are distinct duties. He 
who sincerely does one never omits the other. 
He who lacks one of these graces never attains 
the other. So that true repentance is always 
also connected with love. "Godly sorrow is 
the sorrow of love, the melting of the heart; 
love is the pain and pleasure of a melting heart." 
Right views of Christ and real love to him will 
make every man determine on the death of all 



REPENTANCE. 229 

his sins, and bring him in deep sorrow of heart 
to the feet of the Saviour. Such motives are 
of the right kind. They appeal to the higher 
principles of our renewed nature. If they are 
not effectual, nothing will melt us. Terror 
and wrath are in vain, if love move us not. 
It is all a delusion which supposes that strange 
and startling events are better suited to affect 
the human mind than the things of love. Yet 
this delusion in many is stmng. It follows 
some to a death-bed, and even into hell. The 
rich man said, ''If one went unto them from 
the dead, they will repent." 

The kind of repentance above described is 
a saving grace. He who exercises it shall not 
perish. It produces joy, as in the case of the 
prodigal, and of the converts in Jerusalem and 
Samaria. "The same Jesus who turned the 
water into wine turns the waters of repentance 
into the wine of consolation." So that it is 
most true of godly sorrow, that ' ' sorrow is bet- 
ter than laughter." "Blessed are they that 
mourn; for they shall be comforted." Thus 
saith the Lord, "I dwell with him that is of a 
contrite and humble spirit ; to revive the spirit 
of the humble, and to revive the heart of the 
contrite ones." 



230 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The Scriptures speak of two kinds of re- 
pentance. Indeed, there are two very differ- 
ent words in the Greek Testament which are 
translated repentance. One means a change 
of mind thorough and entire, a turning away 
of the soul from sin and vanity to God and 
holiness. It is called ''repentance to salva- 
tion." Elsewhere it is called ''repentance 
unto life." This is the word used by John the 
Baptist, Matt. 3:2, and by Christ, Matt. 4:17, 
when they preached saying, ' ' Repent, for the . 
kingdom of. heaven is at hand." They would 
have us make thorough work of it. This is the 
kind of repentance which is said to awaken joy 
in heaven. This is that repentance which 
Christ is exalted at the right hand of God to 
grant unto Israel. Indeed, generally where 
repentance in the New Testament is spoken 
of, either as a dut}^ or as a saving grace, the 
word in the original is that the sense of which 
is given above. 

.The other word translated repentance means 
simply regret, or change of purpose. In this 
sense Herod repented, when he found that 
his rash and wicked oath would end in the 
beheading of John. He was sorry, but not 
after a godly sort. Yea, he was "very sorry," 



REPENTANGE. 231 

but his sorrow worked death both to John and 
himself: temporal death to the former, spirit- 
ual death to the latter. This word is found in 
some of its forms five times in the New Testa- 
ment: Matt. 21:29, 32, and 27 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 
7:8; Heb. 7:21. One of them is where 
Paul says, "Though I made you sorry with a 
letter, I do not repent, though I' did repent f 
that is, I do not regret it, though I did regret 
it. In Hebrews we read, "The Lord sware, 
and will not repent" — will not change his pur- 
pose — "Thou art a priest for ever after the 
order of Melchizedek.'' It is found in Matthew 
three times. It is said of the first son in the 
parable, that "afterwards he repented," chang- 
ed his purpose, "and went." Chap. 21:29. 
So in the same chapter, verse 32: "The pub- 
licans and harlots believed John ; and ye, when 
ye had seen it, repented not" — changed not 
your purpose, did not even regret the course 
you had taken — " that ye might believe Him." 
The other case is in Matt. 27:3-5: "Then 
Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw 
that he was condemned, repented himself" — or 
simply repented, the word himself not being 
in the original — " and brought again the thirty 
pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 



232 VITAL GODLINESS. 

saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed 
innocent blood. And they said, What is that 
to us? See thou to that. And he cast down 
the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, 
and went and hanged himself." Here it is 
stated that Judas regretted his conduct, had 
the sorrow which works death j but this was all. 
As this case of Judas is very instructive 
in the nature of a spurious repentance, let us 
dwell on it a little. His regret was unfeigned. 
Higher proof of his being really sorry that he 
had betrayed Christ he could not give. Mere 
sincerity is not all that is required in religion 
generally, or in repentance in particular. There 
must be a change of heart as well as of pur- 
pose, a turning to Grod as well as sorrow. Nor 
is the strength of our emotions any test of their 
genuineness. It is no proof that your sorrow 
for sin is of a godly sort, that it is violent, and 
fills your soul with anguish. It is not proba- 
ble that any man was ever more distressed 
than Judas. Quality rather than amount of 
feeling Js to be sought. Nor is conviction of 
guilt proof that our repentance is genuine. 
Not only Judas, but Saul and many others 
have had as deep and distressing convictions 
as perhaps ever wrung the human heart ; yet 



EEPENTANCE. 233 

they still loved sin, and turned not to the Lord. 
Nor is a full, frank, and public statement of our 
wickedness in a particular affair any proof that 
we repent unto salvation. Judas went before 
the very men who had hired him to treason, 
and without any inducement from men, told 
them the whole matter and its wickedness. 
As to his confessing his offence before God, we 
have no information. The presumption is that 
he did not attempt it. There are deeds which 
drive the soul far from the mercy-seat, and 
destroy all heart for prayer. Yet Judas did 
all he could to prove to man that he condemned 
his act of treachery. To that deed two strong 
passions are commonly supposed to have con- 
tributed: first, covetousness. His conscience 
so far gained the victory over this vice, that 
he not only offered to pay back the money, 
but when it was refused, he threw it down in 
the temple and left it there. The second pas- 
sion supposed by many to have led to Christ's 
betrayal by Judas was revenge, settled malice 
for what he felt to be a painful exposure of his 
character. Those who thus interpret his con- 
duct found their opinion upon John 13:26-30. 
But Judas so far gave up his malice as pub- 
licly to declare that it had no justification. 



234 VITAL GODLINESS. 

''I have sinned in that I have betrayed the 
innocent blood." And to show how earnest 
he was iji all this, how terrible his compunc- 
tious visitings were, and how fearfully he 
dreaded the longer contemplation of his sin, 
he actually took his own life, and rushed un- 
bidden into the presence of God. Men may 
give their bodies to be burned, yet all will not 
avail without love to God, faith in Christ, and 
godly sorrow for sin. That Judas' repentance 
was not genuine is certain; for Christ said, 
" It had been good for that man if he had not 
been born." 

The great defects of his repentance were 
these: 1. It seems to have been confined to 
thoughts about one or two sins, and did not 
extend to the sins of his life and heart, espe- 
cially the wickedness of his nature. 2. Like 
Saul and others he said, "I have sinned;" but 
not like David, ''I have sinned against the 
Lord." He seems to have had no great thoughts 
of God. 3. All the sorrow which he felt was 
upon principles of human nature common to all 
wicked men, and liable to be brought into op- 
eration at any time. He had not the Spirit. 
There was no spiritual discernment in all his 
exercises. 4. His repentance was without hope. 



EEPENTANCE. 235 

It had in it the sullenness of despair. The 
more he repented, the more wicked he was, 
until to his other offences he added the guilt 
of the worst kind of murder, even suicide. 
5. So that his sorrow did not lead him towards 
God. He had no confidence in atoning blood, 
no reliancetupon the mercy of God in Christ 
Jesus, none of that faith which led the dying 
thief to look to Christ and live. 6. It had no 
genuine humility in it. Judas died as proud 
as he had lived. 7. Like all cases of spurious 
repentance, this did not end in a reformation. 
It produced no fruits meet for repentance. It 
made the guilty man worse and worse at every 
step, until he " went to his own place." Were 
this case of Judas duly considered, wicked men 
would not with so much security and quiet of 
mind live on in their sins. There is something 
very fearful in the thought, that much which 
among men is highly esteemed is abomination 
in the sight of God, and that a repentance 
which goes no further than that of Judas but 
prepares a man for the prison of the damned. 
"Having spoken of confession of sin before 
men, it may be proper to preclude the possi- 
bility of mistake, by observing that those sins 
which are known to men, and thus injure the 



236 VITAL GODLINESS. 

cause of Grod because they do a public harm, 
are to be publicly repented of and renounced ; 
but of those which are private, Chrysostom 
lays down the true rule : "I wish thee not to 
bewray thyself publicly, nor accuse thyself be- 
fore others. I wish thee to obey the prophet 
who saith, Disclose thy W2ij unt% the Lord ; 
confess thy sins before him; tell thy sins to 
him, that he may blot them out. If thou be 
abashed to tell unto any other wherein thou 
hast offended, rehearse them every day be- 
tween thee and thy soul. I wish thee not to 
confess them to thy fellow-servant, who may 
upbraid -thee with them ; tell them to God, who 
will cure them; there is no need for thee in 
the presence of witnesses to acknowledge them ; 
let Grod alone see thee at thy confession. I 
pray and beseech you that you would more 
often than you do confess to Grod eternal, and 
reckoning up your trespasses, desire his par- 
don. I carry you not into a theatre or open 
court of many of your fellow-servants ; I seek 
not to detect your crimes before men ; disclose 
your conscience before Grod,. unfold yourselves 
to him, lay open your wounds before him,^ the 
very best Physician, and seek of him salve for 
them." 



KEPENTANCE. 237 

Whether in those sins which injure men, 
and so admit of reparation, we are bound to 
make restitution, there seems to be no doubt. 
Lev. 6:2-5; Luke 19:1-10. The same is 
clear from Paul's epistle to Philemon. 

Therefore be warned in time as to the fol- 
lowing things : 

1. See that your repentance is not that of 
the hypocrite or worldling. See that it goes 
beyond the repentance of fallen angels. Many 
repent of all their good resolutions and refor- 
mations so soon as the temptation offers. He 
that stole, and repented after his way, steals 
again. He that lied, and was caught in un- 
truth, and so was ashamed, repeats the offence, 
but more cautiously than before. Let not your 
repentance be of this kind. It is a very impor- 
tant truth, that every spurious kind of repent- 
ance is soon known by the lack of fruits pro- 
duced in the life. It is also true that there is 
much sorrow for sin that is not ingenuous and 
hearty. Many look upon repentance as an 
evil, necessary indeed, but still an evil. Such 
repentance as they have is probably of that 
kind. It does them no good. It works death. 
Beware especially of superficial views and ex- 
periences. Some seem to think themselves 



238 VITAL GODLINESS. 

well occupied in trying to prove that sin is not 
a very great evil, that the heart of man is not 
very far wrong. If such should succeed, they 
will but lay a foundation for the most serious 
mistakes in personal experience. "They that 
are whole need not a physician, but they that 
are sick." Avoid all men and books that make 
the impression that there is no need of a thor- 
ough change of principles and affections, or that 
it is easy for him that is accustomed to do evil 
to learn to do well. Never rely on a repent- 
ance that is partial — for some, but not for all 
sins; or a repentance that is temporary, and 
produces no permanent change of heart or 
life; a repentance that refuses to confess or 
repair a wrong done to man ; a repentance that 
regards God's law as too strict, or seems reluc- 
tant to take a low place before God ; a repent- 
ance that is offended with the exact rules of 
Scripture, or with proper distinctions and dis- 
criminations in judging of piety. Eest assured 
that such a stat^ of mind will be of no avail. 
It is peculiarly strange that men will hold fast 
the price of iniquity, and yet hope that they 
have gracious affections. Ahab humbled him- 
self mightily, he covered himself with sack- 
cloth, but he was careful not to restore ; indeed 



REPENTANCE. 239 

he seems never to Have thought of restoring 
Naboth's vineyard ; while Zaccheus seems 
never to have thought of any thing less than 
full restitution from the time that he first 
turned to the Lord. 

The greatest defect, however, in the relig- 
ious experience of many, is the want of proper 
tenderness of heart and of conscience based 
upon clear evangelical views. Eepentance 
without any regard to the cross of Christ is as 
worthless as a faith that knows not the Sav- 
iour. If you would have a vital warmth in 
your repentance, it must be obtained from 
Christ crucified. In every sense he is our life. 
See to it, as you value the favor of God, that 
you often visit Glethsemane and Calvary, the 
cross and the sepulchre of Jesus. 

2. Be careful not to deny the grace of €rod 
shown you in softening your heart, and cherish 
all those sentiments which either belong to true 
repentance or may lead to it. Especially labor 
to acquire clear views of the number and ag- 
gravations of your sins against God. Be not 
deterred from comparing your heart with the 
divine law. It is a great mercy when God 
grants us so much repentance as to lead us to 
acknowledge that we are sinners and need his 



240 VITAL GODLINESS. 

mercy. The prodigal had really made some 
progress towards recovery when he was heart- 
ily willing to say, ''Father, I have sinned 
^ against heaven and before thee, and am no 
more worthy to be called thy son. Make me 
as one of thy hired servants." A small degree 
of genuine repentance may lead to more, and 
so to life. Remember of whom it was said, 
'' A bruised reed shall he not break, and the 
smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall 
bring forth judgment unto truth. '^ If the Sav- 
iour seems to be passing in the way near you, 
be encouraged to cry to him to undertake your 
case. Readily give up all for his favor. It is 
better than life. Forsake all that you have, 
and be his disciple. " Strive to enter in at the 
strait gate ; for many shall seek to enter in, 
and- shall not be able." "If thy right hand 
offend thee, cut it off; for it is profitable for 
thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather" 
than with all thy members "to be cast into 
hell-fire." Rest assured that God will favor- 
ably regard even the beginnings of genuine 
godly sorrow. " He looketh upon men, and if 
any say, I have sinned, I have perverted that 
which is right, and it profiteth me not \ he shall 
deliver his soul from going down into the pit, 



REPENTANCE. 241 

and his life shall see the light." ''He that 
covereth his sins shall not prosper ; but he that 
confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find 
mercy.'^ Oh that all would turn to the Lord 
Jesus, and with many tears give all to him. 
He came to bind up the broken-hearted, to com- 
fort all that mourn, to give unto them beauty 
for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the 
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 
One, genuine tear of penitence avails more in 
salvation than all the costly gifts that ever 
were made. Take heed that you fall not under 
any delusion of the wicked one, whereby you 
would be rendered dull and sluggish in this 
work. Labor for the meat that endureth unto 
life eternal. Work out your salvation with 
fear and trembling. Often and solemnly re- 
view your life. Compare your ways with the 
rules by which you will be judged in the last 
day. Get a clear insight into the nature of 
sin, into the multitude of your own offences, 
and into the blessed scheme of mercy by which 
the vilest may be saved. If there be a spark 
of good within you, it is a token of more good. 
Be careful not to extinguish it. Rather raise 
it into a flame. Neglect no means of deepen- 
ing your serious impressions. Judge not your 

vital Godllnees. 11 



242 VITAL GODLINESS. 

self unworthy of everlasting life by slighting 
the calls of mercy. Think of your own guilt 
and misery ; think of God's love and mercy, 
especially in the gift of his dear Son, and lift 
up your voice and cry mightily to the Lord, 
till he come near and bid the waters of true 
repentance to flow in abundance. Of one 
thing we may be assured, and that is, our re- 
pentance will never be too deep. We cannot 
hate sin too much. We cannot turn from it 
too determinately or too speedily. 

3. There is no substitute for repentance. 
It is the best offering a sinner can make. 
''Eend your hearts, and not your garments.'^ 
''The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a 
broken and a contrite heart, God, thou wilt 
not despise." Nothing will do but this, and 
this will do well. The only alternative is re- 
pentance or perdition. "Except ye repent, 
ye shall all likewise perish.'^ "Repent and 
turn from all your transgressions ; so iniquity 
shall not be your ruin." "Next to innocence, 
repentance is the greatest honor." Although 
repentance is no satisfaction for sin, yet it is 
so necessary that we look in vain for salvation 
without it. "Repent and be converted, that 
your sins may be blotted out." And "as there 



EEPENTANCE. 243 

re no sin so small but it deserves damnation, 
so," blessed be the name of the Lord, "there 
is no sin so great that it can bring damnation 
upon those who truly repent." Listen to God's 
voice addressed to men far, very far gone in 
sin: "Wash you, make you clean: put away 
the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; 
cease to do evil ; learn to do well : seek judg- 
ment, relieve the oppressed, judge the father- 
less, plead for the widow. Come now, and let 
us reason together, saith the Lord : though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white 
as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool." "Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : 
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will 
have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he 
will abundantly pardon." More gracious words 
were never uttered. Nothing can be kinder 
than God's urgent calls to repent. The Lord 
has very graciously spared you to this hour. 
This shows his readiness to save. Peter says 
that we greatly err when we ascribe God's pa- 
tience and forbearance to any slackness in his 
character, any feebleness in his purposes. But 
he is "long-suffering to us-ward, not willing 
that any should perish, but that all should 



2M VITAL GODLINESS. 

come to repentance.'' According to God's 
word, an impenitent heart is a sign of all that 
is evil. Yes, wicked man, ''after thy hard- 
ness and impenitent heart," thou "treasurest 
up wrath against the day of wrath, and reve- 
lation of the righteous judgment of Grod." In- 
deed, the great complaint of God against men 
is that they remain unaffected: "I hearkened 
and heard, but they spake not aright: no man 
repented him of his wickedness, saying. What 
have I done ? every man turned to his course, 
as the horse rusheth into the battle. Yea, the 
stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed 
times ; and the turtle, and the crane, and the 
swallow, observe the time of their coming ; but 
my people know not the judgment of the Lord." 
Jer. 8:6, 7. And whenever a sinner truly 
repents, how surely and how speedily is he 
forgiven. "I said, I will confess my trans- 
gressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest 
the iniquity of my sin." There is no lack of 
mercy with our God. His arms are wide open, 
and his heart is full of tenderness to all who 
will return unto him. Every offer of mercy, 
every call of the gospel, every affliction of life, 
every reproof of conscience, every sermon, and 
every sacrament are so many loud and earnest 



REPENTANCE. 245 

calls to repentance. God may not require of 
you to be a preacher, but upon pain of damna- 
tion he demands that you be a penitent. Noth- 
ing is more presumptuous or vain than a hope 
of salvation in impenitency. God has given 
solemn warning, "lest there should be among 
you a root that beareth gall and wormwood ; 
and it come to pass, when he heareth the words 
of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, 
saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the 
imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness 
to thirst: the Lord will not spare him, but then 
the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall 
smoke against that man, and all the curses that 
are written in this book shall lie upon him." 
Deut. 29 : 18-20. 

4. But when shall I repent? After all, 
here is the point where failure is most com- 
mon. Multitudes would be greatly offended if 
told that they will die without repentance, and 
yet they 'persist in neglecting it. As to the 
time of repentance, no wise man will dare to 
say a word different from the truths of the 
Bible. There God says, "To-day if ye will 
hear his voice, harden not your heart." "Be- 
hold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now 
is the day of salvation." Genuine repentant^e 



246 VITAL GODLINESS. 

cannot be too soon. ''God has made promises 
to late repentance ; but where has he made a 
promise o/late repentance?'' Saving repent- 
ance is always well-timed ; it is not put off till 
the fixedness of an eternal destiny has made 
sorrow hopeless. True repentance commonly 
begins its work early in life — always in time. 
Eternity is for retribution, not for turning to 
Grod. None but the presumptuous defer this 
work till the last. "The repentance of a dy- 
ing man often dies with him," says Augustine. 
" If we put off our repentance to another day, 
we have a day more to repent of, and a day 
less to repent in.'' Ambrose, speaking of a 
death-bed repentance, says, "I will counsel no 
man to trust to it, because I am loath to de- 
ceive any man, seeing I know not what to 
think of it. Shall I judge such a one a casta- 
way ? Neither will I declare him safe. All I 
am able to say is, let his state be left to the 
will and pleasure of Almighty God. Wilt thou 
'therefore be delivered of all doubt? Repent 
while yet thou art healthy and strong. If thou 
defer it till time give no longer possibility of 
sinning, thou canst not be thought to have quit 
sin, but sin has rather quit thee." Oh that 
men were wise! Oh that they would consid- 



REPENTANCE. 247 

er! Oil that they would lay to heart the 
things which belong to their peace, before they 
are for ever hid from their eyes ! ' ' You can- 
not repent too soon. There is no day like to- 
day. Yesterday is gone ; to-morrow is Grod^s, 
not yours. Oh think how sad it will be to have 
your evidences to seek when your cause is to 
be tried ; to have your oil to biiy when you 
should need it to burn." If ever there was a 
wise rule, it is this: ''Whatsoever thy hand 
findeth to do, do it with thy might." Perhaps 
you think that repentance is in your own power 
without God's help, and that you can turn to 
the Lord at any time. But do not deceive 
yourself. It was Christ w^ho said, "Without 
me ye can do nothing." Eepentance is the gift 
of God; and are you taking the right course 
to secure his gift when you are wilfully abus- 
ing his mercies and his grace ? It is a solemn 
thought too, that we have the best reason for 
believing that of all those called to repentance, 
but few at any time obey and turn to God. 
Besides, none but a madman would willingly 
pursue a course which he knows must end in 
misery temporal or eternal. To expect that 
the pains or terrors of death will beget true 
repentance in your case is superlative folly. 



248 VITAL GODLINESS. 

They never have had that effect in any case. 
The sorrows of the damned are still more ter- 
rible, but even they are neither purifying nor 
atoning. Many in every age are much troub- 
led with fears and terrors, especially in sick- 
ness ; but do you not see how, upon recovery, 
they return like the dog to his vomit, or the 
sow that was washed to her wallowing in the 
mire ? If you cannot be won by kindness, the 
terrors of the Lord will never make a good 
man of you. 

One of the most aflOiicting thoughts respect- 
ing a death-bed repentance, is that it is impos- 
sible for any man to prove that it was genuine, 
and the soul enters eternity, to say the least, 
with an untried preparation. Beware lest by 
trifling with your soul's affairs, you at last die 
in utter despair. I have read of a sick man 
who was exhorted to repent. He said he would 
not yet ; for, if he should recover, his compan- 
ions would make merry at his expense. But 
growing worse, his friends again urged him to 
repent. His reply was, ''It is too late, for 
now I am judged and condemned.'^ Oh turn 
to the Lord. ''Wilt thou not be made clean? 
When shall it once be ?" 



HUMILITY. 249 



CHAPTER XII. 

HUMILITY. 

We rise in glory as we sink in pride; 
Wliere boasting ends, there dignity begins. 

The word translated humility' m the New 
Testament occurs seven times. It is once ren- 
dered lowliness, once lowliness of mind, once 
humbleness of mind, and twice by the simple 
word humility. In Ool. 2:18, 23, it is used 
either for a feigned humility or for a degrad- 
ing subjection of mind, such as all will- worship 
begets and fosters. The heathen, not having 
any virtue corresponding to Christian humility, 
had no word to express such a quality of the 
mind; and when the New Testament writers 
gave us their thoughts, they adopted the lan- 
guage of the age, and so use in a good sense 
words which among the heathen often had a 
very different sense. ''The philosophers 
thought humility to be the opposite of magna- 
nimity.^' It is one of the peculiar glories of 
Christianity that it teaches unfeigned humility, 
and yet so as to elevate and dignify all who 
practise it. 

11* 



250 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Humility is lowliness of mind, the opposite 
of pride and arrogance. It belongs to the 
essence of experimental religion. Bates calls 
it " the peculiar grace of Christians, the parent 
and nurse of other graces, that preserves in us 
the light of faith and the heat of love; that 
procures modesty in prosperity and patience 
in adversity ; that is the root of gratitude and 
obedience, and is so lovely in God's eyes, that 
he 'giveth grace to the humble/ '^ A lowly 
spirit is the opposite of a lofty one. True hu- 
mility is an inward grace based on a view of 
our own guilt, weakness, vileness, ignorance, 
and poverty, as compared with the infinite 
excellence and glory of G-od. It is one of the 
most lovely of all the traits of a child of God. 
It is opposed to all ostentation. It not only 
hides the other graces of the Christian from 
the gaze of self-admiration, but it hides itself 
also. Its aim is not to be thought humble, but 
to be humble. The good man loves to lie low, 
and cares not to have it known. In the eyes 
of others this virtue is willing to take a low 
place, but claims no merit on that account. 

The Bible says, ''Be clothed ivith humility J^ 
Have no secret or single way of display. Be 
not humble merely respecting some things, and 



HUMILITY. 251 

proud or self-conceited about others. Let the 
robe of lowliness of mind, like the ample folds 
of a cloak, cover up all else ; and be not afraid 
of thus suffering loss. Humility will not dis- 
figure, but adorn you. As Eebecca was not 
the less lovely, but the more so, when she took 
a veil and covered her beauty and all her jew- 
els ; so the child of God is peculiarly beautified 
when arrayed in humbleness of mind. Of the 
wicked it is said, ''Pride compasseth them 
about as a chain," Psa. 73: 6 ; but the right- 
eous are ''clothed, with humility.'^ Rowland 
Hill says, " I could say a thousand things con- 
cerning this next to celestial valley of humil- 
iation. The air is so salubrious, the grotind is 
so fertile, the fruit so wholesome; while from 
the branches of every tree the voice of prayer 
and praise are heard in delightful concert with 
each other. While living in this valley, no 
weapon that is formed against us shall prosper, 
as all the fiery darts of the devil are sure to 
pass over our heads, since the enemy of souls 
cannot shoot low enough to reach us to our 
hurt." 

To prevent mistake, it is right to say that 
humility has a sacred regard to truth. Its 
judgments are formed on that sure foundation 



252 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and by that unerring standard. Grod requires 
of us not meanness, but humility ; not degra- 
dation, but a judgment and sense of ourselves 
according to truth. We are not at liberty to 
think of ourselves more lowly or more highly 
than the truth requires. We are required to 
think soberly of ourselves. It is certain that 
all sober thoughts of ourselves will give us a 
very low place. A high estimate of ourselves 
is never according to truth. 

Neither does humility consist in decrying 
pride in general, nor in speaking against the 
haughtiness of some of our neighbors, nor in 
seeking intercourse with low people for selfish 
ends, nor in covering one's self with rags or 
rough garments, nor in affecting unusual man- 
ners, nor in those self-restraints which are 
intended to win the good opinion of others 
respecting our humility, nor in confessing sins 
which we do not forsake, nor in a servile dis- 
position or manner towards men, nor in proud- 
ly maintaining the humbling doctrines of the 
gospel. 

Even the semblance of humility is often 
thought advantageous by designing men. Lord 
Bacon says, ''Envy, which is the canker of 
honor, is best extinguished by declaring a 



HUMILITY. 253 

man's self in his ends rather to seek merit 
than fame; and by attributing a man's suc- 
cesses rather to divine providence and felicity, 
than to his own virtue or policy." The cun- 
ning know that the best way to secure is to 
seem to shun applause. 

Where the mind is assured that the humil- 
ity of another is unfeigned, it easily confides, 
and loves to show affection. We love to ex- 
press admiration where we suppose we are not 
flattering. Virtuous minds love not to give 
unreasonable commendation, though they de- 
light in uttering salutary encouragement. This 
is so true that, even where the grace of Grod 
has not renewed the heart, but there is merely 
a natural diffidence, we esteem it amiable. It 
is with pleasure we read that Saul, when he 
heard of his being chosen king, went and hid 
himself among the stuff. Our feelings towards 
him e-ntirely change when he becomes am- 
bitious and cruel and self-confident by the use 
of power, and by dazzling prospects for him- 
self and his family. No small part of the 
enthusiasm of the people in regard to some 
public men is chiefly owing to the belief that 
they will not be spoiled by public attention. 
The charm of their character is in their mod- 



254: VITAL GODLINESS. 

esty. Honors are often lavished on such, and 
as often -withheld from men of an opposite 
character. Mankind meet not the demands of 
the bailijff or tax-gatherer with more surliness 
than they do the claims of men to distinction. 
To be proud and to be popular is not given to 
men. In any virtue, the reality is better than 
the semblance. It is so in humility. Nature 
is commonly stronger than art, and will finally 
show itself. In one sense, it is easier to be 
good than to seem to be good. It is less trou- 
ble to act out an ingenuous nature than it is to 
conceal an evil nature under any disguise. 

The commendations bestowed on this vir- 
tue are high and numerous. Our Saviour 
said, "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be 
abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall 
be exalted.'^ Matt. 23 : 12. In a note on this 
passage, Dr. Doddridge says, "Christ seems, 
by the frequent repetition of this maxim, to 
intimate that he intended it not only for those 
who were to be teachers of others, but for all 
Ms disciples without exception. And it is well 
worthy of our observation that no one sentence 
of our Lord's is so frequently repeated as this, 
which occurs at least ten times in the evange- 
lists:' He then refers to Matt. 18:4; 20 : 26, 



HUMILITY. 255 

27; 23 : 10, 11 ; Mark 9 : 35 ; 10 : 43, 44; Luke 
14:11; 18:14; 22:26; John 13:14. 

When we examine other parts of God^s 
word, we find they speak the same language. 
This will appear more fully presently. Soon 
after the death of the last apostle, we find 
Christian writers dwelling with great urgen- 
cy upon this virtue. Jerome says, "With 
Grod nothing stands higher than humility." 
Augustine, speaking of pride, says, "That 
which first overcame man is the last thing 
which man overcomes." When Demosthenes 
was asked what was the first thing in a good 
orator, he said. Delivery; and the second, 
he replied, Delivery; and the third, he still 
answered. Delivery. So says Chrysostom, 
"If I be asked what is the first thing that 
makes a Christian, I answer. Humility; and 
the second. Humility ; and the third, Hu- 
mility." 

Later writers of eminence speak the same 
language. Venn says, "As soon as pride is 
humbled enough not to enter into controversy 
with God about the justice of his own decla- 
rations, every man confesses himself a guilty 
sinner, in danger of eternal ruin." 

Manton says, "The nettle mounteth on 



256 VITAL GODLINESS. 

high, while the violet shrouds itself under its 
own leaves, and is chiefly found out by its fra- 
grancy. Let Christians be satisfied with the 
honor that cometh from God only/' 

Bates says, '' Humility is the most precious 
ornament in Grod's sight; and to be approved 
by the divine mind and accepted by the divine 
will is the highest honor, the most worthy of 
our ambition. Humility is like the precious 
balm that, mixed with other liquors, sinks to 
the bottom; but then it is visible and most 
amiable in the sight of God.'' 

Evans says, "Those who are destitute of 
humility, whatever profession they have made 
of Christianity, have in truth the rudiments of 
it yet to learn. If they have been soaring 
upward to heaven itself in the sublimest spec- 
ulations, if they have built up their hopes to 
the greatest height on other grounds, without 
laying this at the foundation, they must be 
content to come down again to learn this les- 
son, which enters into the elements of Christ's 
religion. A proud Christian is a contradictory 
character ; as much so as it would be to say, a 
wicked saint. The whole gospel, in its pre- 
cepts, its great example, its glorious prospects, 
tends to humble the pride of man ; and there- 



HUMILITY. 257 

fore, whoever will come after Christ must in 
this respect deny himself." 

Dr. Gill says, "Generally speaking, those 
that have the most grace and the greatest gifts, 
and are of the greatest usefulness, are the most 
humble, and think the most meanly of them- 
selves. So those boughs and branches of trees 
which are most richly laden with fruit bend 
downwards and hang lowest." 

Dr. Watts says, '' Saints increase in humil- 
ity as they draw nearer to heaven. ' Unwor- 
thy to be called an apostle,' said Paul concern- 
ing himself some years after his conversion. 
As he advanced still further in years, he cried 
out, ' Less than the least of all saints.' A little 
before his martyrdom, his cry is, ' the chief of 
sinners.' " 

Mason says, '' God had rather see his chil- 
dren humble for sin than proud of grace. . . 
Neither all the devils in hell nor all the tempt- 
ations of the world can hurt that man who 
keeps himself humble and depending on 
Christ. . . As the first step heavenward is 
humility, so the first step hellward is pride." 

The Persian proverb is, "A man passes 
for a sage when he seeks for wisdom ; but if he 
thinks he has found it, he is a fool." 



258 VITAL GODLINESS. 

John Angell James says, ''Humility is the 
certain fruit of a heart wherein true religion 
is duly cultivated, and is most conspicuous in 
those whose lives are adorned with the most 
exemplary piety.'' i 

As nothing so well explains and enforces 
one's meaning as examples, a few are here 
given to hold forth both the nature and beauty 
of humility. The first is that of President Ed- 
wards the elder. On receiving information of 
his election to the presidency of Princeton 
college, he thus wrote to the trustees: "I am 
not a little surprised on receiving the unex- 
pected notice of your having made choice of 
me to succeed the late President Burr as the 
head of Nassau Hall. I am much in doubt 
whether I am called to undertake the business 
which you have done me the unmerited honor 
to choose me for. . . The chief difficulties in 
my mind in the way of accepting this impor- 
tant and arduous office are, first, my own de- 
fects unfitting me for such an undertaking, 
many of which are generally known, besides 
others of which my own heart is conscious. I 
have a constitution in many respects unhappy, 
attended with flaccid solids, vapid, sizy, and 
scarce fluids, and a low tide of spirits, often 



HUMILITY. 259 

occasioning a kind of childish weakness a,nd 
contemptibleness of speech, presence, and de- 
meanor, with a disagreeable dulness and stiff- 
ness much unfitting me for conversation, but 
more especially for the government of the col- 
lege. This makes me shrink at the thought of 
taking upon me in the decline of life such a 
new and great business, attended with such a 
multiplicity of cares, and requiring such a de- 
gree of activity, alertness, and spirit of govern- 
ment, especially as succeeding one so remark- 
ably well qualified in these respects, giving 
occasion to every one to remark the differ- 
ence. I am also deficient in some parts of 
learning, particularly in algebra and the higher 
parts of mathematics, and in the Greek clas- 
sics, my Greek learning having been chiefly in 
the New Testament." Thus spoke the great- 
est divine of New England and the greatest 
metaphysician of his century. How many 
with a hundredth part of his attainments in 
any respect would never have had nor have 
suggested the slightest difficulty. 

Hear too the Rev. Samuel Davies, who, 
as he was recovering from a dangerous illness, 
wrote, "I am rising up with a desire to rec- 
ommend Christ better to my fellow -sinners 



260 VITAL GODLINESS. 

than I have done ; but alas, I hardly hope to 
accomplish it. He has done a great deal more 
by me already than I ever expected, and infi- 
nitely more than I deserved. But he never 
intended me for great things. He has beings 
both of my own and of superior orders, that 
can perform him more worthy service. Oh, 
if I might but untie the latchet of his shoes, or 
draw water for the service of his sanctuary, 
it is enough for me." 

Take another case. The Eev. John Liv- 
ingston was one of the wonderful men of Scot- 
land, and the ancestor of the family of the 
same name so widely and so favorably known 
in America. When a licentiate, he preached 
June 21, 1630, on a Monday after a com- 
munion, in the churchyard of the kirk of 
Schotts, with an effect so remarkable as to 
have been celebrated ever since. John Brown 
of Haddington says, that under this one sermon 
"five hundred were converted to Christ." 
Many others have pointed to that day as 
closely resembling the day of Pentecost. Liv* 
ingston's own account of it is simple and mod- 
est. He says, ''The night before, I had been 
with some Christians who s;pent tJie night in 
prayer and conference. When I was alone in 



HUMILITY. 261 

the fields about eight or nine o'clock in the 
morning, before we were to go to sermon, there 
came such a misgiving spirit upon me, consid- 
ering hiy unworthiness and weakness, and the 
expectation of the people, that I was consult- 
ing with myself to have stolen away some- 
where, and declined that day's preaching ; but 
then I thought I durst not so far distrust God, 
and so went to sermon, and got good assist- 
ance about an hour and a half upon the points 
which I had meditated on, Ezek. 36 : 25, 26. 
And in the end, offering to close with some 
words of exhortation, I was led on about an 
hour's time in a strain of exhortation and warn- 
ing with such liberty and melting of heart as I 
never had the like in public in all my lifetime." 
Such is the humble statement of the great man 
who preached the most remarkable sermon 
which has been delivered for perhaps fifteen 
hundred years. 

When Moses came down from the mount, 
"he wist not that his face shone." I once 
heard a man boasting that he and his coadju- 
tors were Smithfield men. He forgot that the 
Smithfield men of a former century never knew 
that they were such until they went home to 
God. They were humble men, and greatly 



262 VITAL GODLINESS. 

distrusted themselves to the last. They had 
contemporaries who thought themselves ready 
to die in the cause of Christ ; but as prison and 
death stared them in the face, they turned Pa- 
pists. 

In the New Testament we have several 
pleasing examples of humility. Thus in the 
gospel which bears his name, Matthew does 
not tell us that he was rich and made a great 
feast for Christ. We learn that fact from 
another evangelist. Matthew simply tells us 
what occurred when Jesus sat at meat, without 
hinting who gave the entertainment. When 
the apostolic authority of Paul was questioned, 
and for the truth's sake he was compelled to 
defend it, he seems really pained by being led 
to speak of himself so much, and calls it folly, 
but says it was necessary. True humility is 
opposed both to egotism and ostentation. It 
is also opposed to all self-conceit before God 
or man. Look too at the woman of Canaan. 
How illustriously did she prove that true hu- 
mility is not easily offended. 

Humility, when genuine, runs through all 
the deportment. It is an ingredient of the 
character. It influences both public and pri- 
vate behavior. But there are special occa- 



HUMILITY. 263 

sions when it displays itself in a very unmis- 
takable manner. One of these is, when re- 
proof is administered. Its language ever is, 
"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a 
kindness ; and let ~him reprove me ; it shall 
be an excellent oil, which shall not break my 
head." Psa. 141:5. When reproved, the 
truly humble do not fall into a rage, nor hate 
the man who has shown fidelity in warning 
them of their fault or danger. Again, some 
of the duties of life are honorable. Offices are 
to be filled, courtesies are to be shown, defer- 
ence is to be manifested. The truly humble 
man is not at a loss at such times. Paul di- 
rects that in such cases we should ''in honor 
prefer one another." Eom. 12 : 10. Else- 
where he says, "Let nothing be done through 
strife or vain-glory; but in lowliness of mind 
let each esteem other better than themselves." 
Phil. 2:3. The humble man is not offended 
with such rules. The apostle Peter in like 
manner says, "Likewise, ye younger, submit 
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be 
subject one to another, and be clothed with 
humility ; for God resisteth the proud, but giv- 
eth grace to the humble." 

Nor is the humble man pleased with flat- 



26^ VITAL GODLINESS. 

tery. It may be adroitly administered; but 
he knows that any lifting up of his soul is not 
for his good. He is not one of those silly 
ones who relies upon the praises of men. He 
cares not to have them. Nor is he much af- 
fected by their slanderous accusations. With 
him it is a rule, ''by well-doing to put to si- 
lence the ignorance of foolish men," and so to 
live that he who " is of the contrary part may 
be ashamed, having no evil thing to say" of 
him. An humble walk is the best defence 
against the charge of pride. 

The conduct of the humble man in times of 
sore judgments is also noticeable. Instead of 
resorting to doubtful expedients, he casts his 
care upon the Lord. Of this we have two 
noted examples in the history of David. When 
driven from Jerusalem, and cursed by Shimei, 
he refused to avenge the insult offered him, or 
to permit Abishai to do it. He left it all to 
God. So when for numbering the people God 
was angry, and sent Gad to David, and Gad 
said, "Shall seven years of famine come unto 
thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months 
before thine enemies, while they pursue thee ? 
or that there be three days' pestilence in thy 
land? Now advise, and see what answer I 



HUMILITY. 265 

shall return to him that sent me. And David 
said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let us 
now fall into the hand of the Lord; for his 
mercies are great ; and let me not fall into the 
hand of man." How wise this choice. Hu- 
mility loves to depend on God, even when his 
fatherly displeasure is expressed against us. 
Famine and war make men brutal to those 
around them. When the palmer- worm and 
the locust and the caterpillar and the canker- 
worm, strong and without number, waste the 
pleasant fields; when the heavens glow like 
heated brass, and the earth is like iron, and 
drought cuts off " the meat before our eyes, 
and the seed is rotten under the clods, and 
the garners are laid desolate, and the beasts 
groan, and the herds of cattle are perplexed 
because they find no pasture, and the rivers 
are dried up, and fire devours the pasture in 
the wilderness,'' then oftentimes fathers have 
no pity and mothers become monsters. War 
too is full of brutal outrages, committed espe- 
cially by the cowardly. It is full of spectacles 
of misery and slaughter, and carries with it 
awful terror. ' ' Every battle is with confused 
noise, and garments rolled in blood." Isaiah 
9:6. Then at least 

YiUl Gortlinees. 12 



266 VITAL GODLINESS. 

" There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart ; 
It does not feel for man." 

The humble prefers the hand of God to that 
of his enemies. He falls into Jehovah's arms. 
He humbles himself under Grod's mighty hand. 
His strength is to sit still. Instead of say- 
ing, What have I ever done to deserve such 
strokes? he rather says, What have I not 
done ? 

The humble also abase themselves much 
when Grod grants them great prosperity in 
their plans. His mercy humbles them. Thus 
David was greatly affedted at his success in 
collecting treasure for building the temple, 
and said, "Who am I, and what is my people, 
that we should be able to offer so willingly 
after this sort? for all things come of thee, and 
of thine own have we given thee." 1 Chron. 
29 : 14. So Paul, being led to say in a neces- 
sary defence, "I labored more abundantly than 
they all,'' instead of being lifted up by it, im- 
mediately adds, ''Yet not I, but the grace of 
f Grod that was in me." 

In like manner the humble carry them- 
selves softly and lowly when Grod comes down 
in anger to afflict their enemies or the foes of 
his church. They know the meaning of that 



HUMILITY. 267 

injunction, "Eejoic^not when thine enemy 
falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he 
stumbleth; lest the Lord see it, and it dis- 
please him, and he turn away his wrath from 
him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, 
neither be thou envious at the wicked." Prov. 
24 : 17-19. 

The ordinances of God's house, the em- 
blems of his love, the light of his countenance, 
the presence of his Spirit, all have a blessed 
effect on the humble in making him bow in 
deeper lowliness before Grod. 

On three very different classes of matters 
we are called to humility. 

1. The first comprehends our beauty, 
strength, rank, success, power, wealth. For 
these things we are indebted to Grod. He is 
their author. His mercy, not our wisdom, se- 
cured them to us. His kindness granted us 
comeliness, health, activity, reputable parent- 
age, and all these things. Yet how many are 
swollen with pride by the possession of even 
one of these things. Nay, fine clothing and 
costly jewels puff up many. How seasonable 
is the warning of God: ''Let not the wise man 
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty 
man glory in his might, let not the rich man 



268 VITAL GODLINESS. 

glory in his riches : but 4et him that glorieth, 
glory in this, that he understandeth and know- 
eth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise 
loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness 
in the earth." Jer. 9 : 23, 24. Others have 
toiled as hard, studied as carefully, risen as 
early, sat up as late, eaten only the bread of 
carefulness, and yet have not gained our meas- 
ure of success. Oh that men would remember 
that "promotion cometh neither from the east, 
nor from the west, nor from the south; but 
God is Judge of all. He raiseth up one and 
putteth down another." Between men's best 
and last efforts and success, there is always a 
chasm which none but Grod can bridge over. 
So that the honor of all is due to him. No 
man is the more base for being poor, nor is 
any one more noble for being rich. No man 
deserves well because he has been successful. 
''The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to 
the strong." 

2. A second class of matters respecting 
which we should be humble, comprehends 
mental qualities, such as memory, imagination, 
judgment, wit, logical power, learning, and 
skill as writers or speakers. In a free govern- 
ment the tenor of public sentiment opposes the 



HUMILITY. 269 

coarser displays of pride on account of birth, 
rank, or fortune ;. but then intellectual superi- 
ority has unwonted power. Intellect is indeed 
never to be despised. It is right that mental 
strength should have more influence than men- 
tal imbecility. Nor does God's word encour- 
age feebleness of intellect. On the contrary, 
wherever it goes, it says, "In understanding 
be ye men." But it does forbid us to be proud 
of any mind we have. It also warns us not to 
boast ourselves of a false gift, lest we be like 
clouds and wind without rain. How amazingly 
contented are the masses of men with their 
quantum of intellect. Some indeed complain 
of bad memory, but very few of bad judgment. 
In a world full of ignorance we have swarms 
of teachers and few scholars ; hosts of instruct- 
ors and but few learners, few readers, few in- 
quirers. This is positive proof that there is 
great lack of sobriety in the estimates men 
form of themselves. 

It is a universal law that genuine modesty 
and humility are essential to any great mental 
attainments. Lord Bacon says, "The access 
to the kingdom of man, which is founded on 
the sciences, resembles that to the kingdom of 
heaven, where no admission is conceded ex- 



270 VITAL GODLINESS. 

cept to cMldren." Sir Isaac Newton said of 
himself no tiling more flattering than this: "He 
who comes after me may by diligence know 
something.'^ Near the close of his life he said, 
' ' I stand on the shore of the ocean of know- 
ledge, and all I have been able to do was to 
pick up a few pebbles.'^ This was in human 
science. In the history of the church, Paul 
was preeminent for gigantic powers and depth 
of knowledge; yet how lowly was he. Listen 
to him: ''Now we see through a glass darkly;'^ 
''Now we know in part;'^ "Not as though I 
had already attained, either were already per- 
fect ; . . . forgetting those things which are be- 
hind, I press towards the mark for the prize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 

In studying God's word, how little humil- 
ity is there, and consequently how little suc- 
cess. John Newton says, "Those who seek 
not assistance from God, can find it nowhere 
else: for 'every good gift and every perfect 
gift is from above, and cometh down from the 
Father of lights,' who hath said, ' If any man 
lack wisdom, let him ask of God.' A critical 
knowledge of the original languages, a skill in 
the customs and manners of the ancients, an ac- 
quaintance with the Greek and Eoman classics, 



HUMILITY. 271 

a perusal of councils, fathers, scholiasts, and 
commentators, a readiness in the subtleties of 
logical disputation — these, in their proper place 
and subserviency, may be of considerable use 
to clear, illustrate, or enforce the doctrines of 
Scripture ; but unless they are governed by a 
temper of humility and prayer ; unless the 
man that possesses them accounts them alto- 
gether as nothing, without the assistance of the 
Spirit of God, which is promised to guide be- 
lievers into all truth j unless he seeks and prays 
for this guidance no less earnestly than those 
who understand nothing but their mother 
tongue; I make no scruple to afi&rm, that all 
his a;pparatus of knowledge only tends to lead 
him so much the further astray; and that a 
plain, honest ploughman, who reads no book 
but his Bible, and has no teacher but the God 
to whom he prays in secret, stands abundantly 
fairer for the attainment of true skill in di- 
vinity." 

Charnock says, ''If grace be given to the 
humble, the grace of the best knowledge is not 
excluded from God's liberality. We gain it 
sooner by an humble contemplation than by 
proud wranglings. As to obey God we must 
deny our wills, so to know him we must deny 



272 VITAL GODLINESS. 

our reasonings; will must submit to precept, and 
reason to revelation. Agur acknowledged him- 
self hrutish, who came behind none of his age, 
unless Solomon, in understanding. Prov. 30 : 2. 
The humble person will soon be a scholar in 
this learning, when a Pharisee shall remain as 
ignorant as he is proud. God reveals himself 
to lales. Matt. 11 : 25. TJie meeh will he teach 
his way. Psa. 25 : 9. As Ood hnows the proud 
afar off, Psa. 138 : 6, so doth the proud man 
know Grod afar off. . . . A proud scholar and 
a dove-like teacher can never accord." 

In full agreement with these sentiments, 
the Scriptures declare, ''If any man think that 
he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet 
as he ought to know.'^ How timely are such 
warnings as these : "Be not wise in thine own 
eyes f ''Be ye not wise in your own con- 
ceits ;'' "Seest thou a man wise in his own 
conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of 
him ;" "Woe unto them that are wise in their 
own eyes, and prudent in their own conceit.'^ 
Yet to how many might the irony of Job be 
applied: "No doubt but ye are the people, 
and wisdom will die with you." How many 
profess to see into things which they have 
never studied. "The sluggard is wiser in his 



HUMILITY. 273 

own conceit than seven men that can render a 
reason.'^ Very few men are willing to know 
their own ignorance. But for their self-con- 
ceit, armed with malignity, the learned scribes 
and doctors of our Saviour's day might have 
become apostles in knowledge. One has said 
that "hell may be full of learned scribes and 
subtile disputers, of eloquent orators and pro- 
found philosophers, who, when they knew God, 
glorified him not as God, but became vain in 
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was 
darkened.'' " The world by wisdom knew not 
God." The human heart perverts unsanctified 
knowledge to the blinding of the mind in the 
things of God. Hence astronomers and anat- 
omists have not unfrequently been materialists 
and atheists. Some wonder that two sciences 
of so elevated and instructive a character 
should lead to such results. They do not thus 
affect the humble. But the proud pervert ev- 
ery thing. Accordingly it is as true of some 
moderns as of some ancients, that "seeking to 
become wise, they became fools." This self- 
conceit makes men averse to receiving counsel 
from men or reproof from God. It makes them 
violent and dogged in their temper. It makes 
them rash, reckless, ofi&cious, insolent, and cen- 

12* 



274 VITAL GODLINESS. 

sorious. The Bible doctrine is, ''If any man 
among you seemeth to be wise in this world, 
let him become a fool, that he may be wise." 
Here Grod clearly teaches that humility is an 
ingredient of docility. To sit at the feet of 
Jesus is essential to our solid learning. Will 
you thus humble yourself? Is any duty more 
reasonable ? 

3. In all ages, true piety has borne the 
same marks. In like manner sin exhibits the 
same tempers and tendencies from age to age. 
Self-esteem and self-justification belong to the 
unregenerate heart. This is its habitual and 
prevailing state. Some go so far as to claim 
absolute exemption from all sin. They have 
sometimes been so left to themselves and given 
up to believe a lie as to declare that for many 
months, and even years, they have not been 
chargeable with one sinful thought, word, or 
deed. The language of Scripture to such per- 
sons is very direct and pungent : " If we say 
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
the truth is not in us." A conscience not seared 
as with a hot iron must feel the force of such a 
declaration. The Old Testament speaks the 
same language : " There is not a just man upon 
earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Eccl. 



HUMILITY. 275 

7 : 20. Though you may be far from asserting 
that you are perfect, yet if you have never 
been taught of God, nor humbled at the foot 
of the cross, you have an extravagantly good 
opinion of yourself. The Bible says, ' ' There 
is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, 
yet is not washed from their filthiness." Ju- 
daical pharisaism, with its broad phylacteries 
and street-corner devotions and idle ceremo- 
nies, you may not practise ; but are you not in 
spirit a Pharisee? Is not the earth full of 
those who "trust in themselves that they are 
righteous, and despise others?'^ of those who 
say, "Stand by thyself, come not near me, I 
am holier than thou?" How little is thought 
of the precious blood and righteousness of Jesus 
Christ ! Traill says, "All zealous, devout peo- 
ple in a natural religion are enemies to the gos- 
pel. By natural religion, I mean that which is 
the product of the remnant of God's image in 
fallen man, a little improved by the light of 
God's word. All such cannot endure to hear 
that God's law must be perfectly fulfilled in 
every tittle of it, or no man can be saved by 
doing : that they must all perish for ever who 
have not the righteousness of a Man who never 
sinned ; who is also ' God over all, blessed for 



276 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ever/ to shelter and cover them from the an- 
ger of a holy God, and to render them accepted 
of him : that his righteousness is put on by the 
grace of Grod, and a man must take himself to 
it, and receive it as a naked, blushing sinner : 
that no man can do any thing that is good till 
gospel grace renew him, and make him first a 
good man. This they never will receive ; but do 
still think a man may grow good by doing good." 

Alas for men ! Few of them feel themselves 
so dreadfully diseased and ruined by sin as to 
betake themselves to that fountain of which 
the pool of Bethesda was but a type. Hon- 
esty, truth, and love require every messenger 
of Grod to declare to his hearers that they are 
transgressors of the best, the wisest, the most 
benevolent code of laws ever enacted. By 
this code, all are sinners, shut up to guilt and 
wrath, prisoners to eternal justice. No man 
can answer for one of a thousand of his trans- 
gressions. It is solely of Grod's mercies that 
we are not all consumed. We have all sinned 
and come short of the glory of God. If we 
had any sense, we should each cry, ''Enter 
not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy 
sight shall no man living be justified. '^ 

Surely no room is left us for boasting. 



HUMILITY. 277 

''We are unprofitable servants." "Who can 
say, I have made my heart clean ; I am pure 
from my sin V^ The best men that this world 
has ever seen have cried out like Paul, " I am 
carnal, sold under sin;" or like Isaiah, "Woe 
is me, for I am a man of unclean lips ;" or like 
the publican, ' ' God be merciful to me a sin- 
ner." How then dare any of lis lift up our 
heads in arrogance, and like those in whose 
skirts blood was found say, " I am innocent ?" 
Jer. 2 : 35 ; or like the woman of infamy, " who 
wipeth her mouth and saith, I have done no 
wickedness?" Prov. 30:20; or like fraudulent 
Ephraim, with the balances of deceit in his 
hands, "In all my labors they shall find none 
iniquity in me that were sin?" Hos. 12 : 8. 

He who lacks humility on the score of his 
personal sinfulness, precludes the possibility of 
improvement in his spiritual state. "Before 
honor is humility." " God resisteth the proud, 
but giveth grace unto the humble." Men must 
either part with their pride and good opinion 
of themselves, or they must part with hope and 
a blessed eternit}^ Will you cast yourself at 
the feet of sovereign mercy ? You must either 
take your place in the dust before God, or be 
cast down to hell. 



278 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Nor does any grace carry with it richer 
advantages than humility. It is above most 
things a means and a guaranty of a peaceful 
and peaceable life. "Only by pride cometh 
contention." Prov, 13:10. "He that is of a 
proud heart stirreth up strife." Prov. 28:25. 
Humility casts its care upon the Lord, know- 
ing that he careth for us, 1 Pet. 5:7; and so 
leaves in his hands those things which disquiet 
the lives of so many. It is also the great 
means and guaranty of avoiding self-deception. 
If ever men are pufiPed up with delusive no- 
tions respecting their virtues or powers, the 
Scripture gives the reason : " The pride of thy 
heart hath deceived thee." Obad. 3. Humil- 
ity is also the great means and pledge of a 
tender heart. The way that Nebuchadnezzar 
became such a monster of wickedness was, that 
his ' ' heart was lifted up and hardened in pride." 
Dan. 5 : 20. By humility men avoid much and 
terrible mortiJ&cation, and final ruin ; for " when 
pride cometh, then cometh shame." Prov. 11:2- 
' ' Pride goeth before destruction, and a haugh- 
ty spirit before a fall." Prov. 16:18. " Before 
destruction, the heart of man is haughty." Prov. 
18:12. Newton says, "A spirit of humiliation 
is both the strength and beauty of our profes- 



HUMILITY. 279 

sion. A broken and contrite spirit is pleasing 
to the Lord; he has promised to dwell with 
those who have it ; and experience shows that 
the exercise of all our graces is in proportion 
to the humbling sense we have of the deprav- 
ity of our nature. . . If we could receive and 
habitually maintain a right judgment of our- 
selves by what is plainly maintained in Scrip- 
ture, it would probably save us many a mourn- 
ful hour; but experience is the Lord's school, 
and they who are taught by him usually learn 
that they have no wisdom by the mistakes they 
make, and that they have no strength by the 
slips and falls they meet with.'^ 

John Owen says, ''In humility alone there 
is safety. ' His soul, which is lifted up, is not 
upright in him,^ Hab. 2:4; for he draws back 
from God, and God hath no pleasure in him, as 
the apostle expounds these words. Heb. 10: 38." 

Everywhere the Scriptures represent hu- 
mility as the road to honor. This is the doc- 
trine of both Testaments. "Before honor is 
humility.'^ Prov. 15 : 33, and 18 : 12. "By 
humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, 
and honor, and life." Prov. 22 : 4. "He that 
humble th himself shall be exalted." Luke 
14:11. Not only does honor come after hu- 



280 VITAL GODLINESS. 

mility, but ultimately it is in proportion to it. 
Thus it was with Joseph. Thus it was with 
Jesus, of whom Joseph was but a type. Hu- 
mility is also the best evidence of piety. With- 
out it all other evidences are useless. A good 
writer says, ''The Christian's temper Grod- 
ward is evidenced by humility. He has re- 
ceived from G-ethsemane and Golgotha such a 
sense of the evil of sin and of the holiness of 
God, combined with his matchless love to sin- 
ners, as has deeply penetrated his heart. '^ 
Here too is the great secret of improvement. 
Would you gain strength? know your weak- 
ness. Would you gain wisdom? know your 
folly. Seneca said, "I suppose many would 
attain to wisdom, if they did not suppose they 
had already attained to it.'' If you would be 
more like God, know how little you are yet 
like him. 

Humility is also the way to communion 
with God. ''Thus saith the high and lofty 
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is 
Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with 
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, 
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to re- 
vive the heart of the contrite ones." Isaiah 
57:15. And so it appears that humility is 



HUMILITY. 281 

essential to salyation. The Scriptures not only 
teach this incidentally, but explicitly. ' * When 
mea are cast down, then thou shalt say. There 
is lifting up; and he shall save the humble 
person." Job 22 : 29. '' Though the Lord be 
high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly; but 
the proud he knoweth afar off." Psa. 138:6. 
If you would cultivate humility, you must 
acquire self-knowledge ; you must practise self- 
inspection ; you must be willing to know the 
worst of your own case ; you must settle it in 
your heart that humility is a great good ; you 
must compare yourself with those who have 
been brighter examples of virtue than your- 
self, and especially with our great exemplar 
Jesus Christ ; you must think much of your in- 
debtedness to Grod's grace — for what hast thou 
that thou hast not received ? — you must reflect 
on the odiousness of a religious character which 
is destitute of this essential qualification ; you 
must get clear views of the law, its extent, 
spirituality, and strictness ; you must get clear 
views of Grod. This was what brought Job 
into the dust: "I have heard of thee by the 
hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth 
thee ; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes." Job 42 : 5, 6. 



282 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Would you obtain humility? Ask for it. 
Never adopt the belief that you can work this 
or any other grace in your heart without ^the 
help of Grod's Spirit. It was a good prayer of 
a saint of former days: ''0 thou who only 
knowest what I would do if I had health, ease, 
and abundance, do thou in thy wisdom and 
mercy so proportion thy gifts and restraints as 
thou knowest best for my soul. If I be not 
humbled enough, let me wait ; and so order all 
my condition that I may want any thing save 
thyself." Pray for humility, and when the 
answer comes, be not angry that God has 
abased you, but trust him with all your heart. 

Take root downwards, and then you shall 
bear fruit upwards. If there be no deepness 
of earth, things will not grow. If the founda- 
tion be laid on the surface, the house will not 
stand. With the lowly is wisdom. Their 
peace is settled. Their salvation is certain. 

This discussion leads to these observations : 

1. No man is ultimately the loser by any 
virtue whatever. Nothing is so self-renounc- 
ing as humility, yet nothing in the end leads 
to such riches and honors and glories. A 
grace may provoke the contempt, the envy, or 
the rage of men; yet what of that? The con- 



HUMILITY. 283 

tempt of man is not to be compared with tlie 
derision of God. And the worst that malice 
can inflict is to torture and kill the body. It 
is not position, but worth, that deserves esteem. 
"A diamond fallen into a dunghill is not the 
less precious; and the dust, raised by high 
winds to heaven, is not the less vile.'^ It is 
always wise, it is always profitable to practise 
every Christian virtue. If present loss comes 
to us in the path of duty, the end will be eter- 
nal gain. 

2. The truly godly need not fear that their 
pious labors and sufferings will be overlooked. 
They shall all be found unto praise and honor 
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 
Their humility may very properly lead them 
to put a low estimate upon all they do. But 
God will not forget their labors of love. "The 
good works of some are manifest beforehand ; 
and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.'' 

3. The praise that cometh from man is as 
nothing compared with the praise that cometh 
from God only. The barbarous people who 
without evidence pronounced Paul a murderer, 
as suddenly and blindly declared him to be a 
god. If you could get all men to praise you 
to-day, they would probably execrate you to- 



284 VITAL GODLINESS. 

morrow. But when God pronounces a man 
blessed, there is permanency, there is durabil- 
ity in it. *'The gifts, and calling of Grod are 
without repentance." 

4. This subject furnishes a good test of doc- 
trinal statements. Does a doctrine flatter, or 
does it stain the pride and glory of man? The 
answer to this question, fairly made, will be a 
safe guide to a decision on any views in relig- 
ion which we may have. If in the science of 
astronomy the earth be considered as the cen- 
tre, and the sun be made to revolve around it, 
we have one system, a system full of error. 
At every succeeding step and with every grow- 
ing conception, we get further and further from 
the truth. So in religion. If one feels himself 
to be the centre of worth and importance, and 
looks on others as ministering to him, then we 
have one form of religion, one code of practice 
which fully coincide with the sentiments and 
demeanor of Pharisees and fallen angels. But 
if a man in his mind and heart puts Jehovah 
on the throne, and himself in the dust, then we 
have another and a very different system of 
religious belief and practice. In all this is 
order, concord, the right of divine law, and a 
solid basis for peace and obedience. This is 



HUMILITY. 285 

one ingredient of heavenly bliss. There the 
will of the King, eternal, immortal, and invis- 
ible, is received with shonts of joy. It was an 
attempt to introduce a different state of things 
that constituted the rebellion which broke out 
in heaven, and led the Eternal to build his 
prison-house Tophet, that was ordained of old. 
Reject all teachings that flatter- the pride of 
man. A doctrine which makes you greater 
than the least of God's mercies is not from 
heaven. 

5. This subject affords a guide in the per- 
formance of religious duties. As far as their 
nature will allow, they should be modest and 
retiring. ''Take heed that ye do not your 
alms before men, to be seen of them: other- 
wise ye have no reward of your Father w^hich 
is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest 
thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, 
as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in 
the streets, that they may have glory of men. 
Yerily I sa;y unto you. They have their re- 
ward. But when thou doest thine alms, let 
not thy left hand know what thy right hand 
doeth ; that. thine alms may be in secret : and 
thy Father which seeth in secret, himself shall 
reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, 



286 VITAL GODLINESS. 

thou shalt not be as tlie hypocrites are: for 
they love to pray standing in the synagogues, 
and in the corners of the streets, that they may 
be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They 
have their reward. But thou, when thou pray- 
est, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast 
shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in 
secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret 
shall reward thee openly.'^ Matt. 6 : 1-6. 
Here are the very words of the Son of God, 
delivered in his first set discourse to his disci- 
ples. Let them never be forgotten. 



THE FEAR OF GOD. 287 

CHAPTER XIII. 

THE FEAR OF GOD. 

GoD^s word clearly teaches that there is a 
fear connate with true religion. Once the 
Scriptures assert that "the fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of knowledge/' Prov. 1:7; and 
twice they say that ''the fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of wisdom." Psa. Ill : 10, and 
Prov. 9 : 10. There is no higher wisdom than 
to fear Grod, as there is no true wisdom till he 
is feared. This is both alpha and omega in 
wisdom. ''The very first, and indeed the 
principal thing, to be instilled into all men's 
minds, is a religious sense of the divine Maj- 
esty, and an awful regard towards him." With 
the foregoing well agrees the prophet Isaiah : 
"The fear of the Lord is his treasure." Isa. 
33:6. 

It is the more important to dwell upon this 
grace, as it seems not to be much spoken of. 
Yery seldom is it a subject of pulpit discourse ; 
rarely do we find it treated of at length in 
modern books ; yet the Bible is full of it. Not 
only the Old Testament, but the New also, 



288 VITAL GODLINESS. 

insists upon reverence and godly fear as essen- 
tial ingredients of Christian character. Per- 
haps one reason why so little is said of it is, 
that many minds are confused respecting its 
qualities. It will therefore be wise to seek to 
understand its nature, and the difference be- 
tween it and all those kinds of fear which are 
spurious. 

G-odly fear does not at all consist in ser- 
vility and guilty dismay, nor in mere dread 
and terror. This kind of fear is neither holy 
nor useful. Indeed it sadly perverts men, and 
fits them for a life of sin. "Fear, if it have 
not the light of a true understanding concern- 
ing Grod wherewith to be moderated, breedeth 
superstition," says Hooker. 

Godly fear consists with love. This is so 
true, that the more we fear Grod, the more we 
love him ; and the more we love him, the more 
do we fear him. It is not a destroyer, but a 
regulator of other graces. Without it faith 
might become presumptuous, hope might lose 
its sobriety, love might degenerate into fond- 
ness or familiarity, and joy might become 
giddy. But where the heart is full of godly 
fear, all these unhappy results are avoided. 
So far from agitating, it calms and quiets the 



THE FEAR OF GOD. 289 

mind. It seems to give both gravity and 
cheerfulness. It moderates without depress- 
ing; it animates without intoxicating. It is 
good ballast to the ship in her passage through 
tempestuous seas. 

This fear is a fruit of God's bounty. It is 
gracious. "Let us have grace, whereby we 
may serve God acceptably, with reverence 
and godly fear.'' Without an interest in God's 
favor, we can never make so excellent an 
attainment. It is a saving grace. It is de- 
clared to be a part of true religion in all dis- 
pensations. "They shall fear thee as long as 
the sun and moon endure, throughout all gen- 
erations." Psa. 72 : 5. So that religion with- 
out love is not more spurious than religion 
without fear. One of the most striking fea- 
tures of synagogue worship for centuries past 
has been an evident want of profound rever- 
ence for God in the entire manner of conduct- 
ing the religious services of the Jews. 

The basis of this fear is found in the na- 
ture, word, and works of God. Jehovah is 
" the great and dreadful God." We must gain 
a knowledge of him. "As the justice of God 
and his anger must be apprehended before he 
can be feared slavishly, so the majesty of God 

vi»>il Godliness. 13 



290 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and his goodness must be understood before 
lie can be feared filially. Who can stand in 
awe of a majesty he is ignorant of? Men, 
knowing not God's nature, have often presum- 
ed so much upon his mercy, that they have 
been destroyed by his justice." Any right 
thoughts of Grod's amazing purity of nature 
will surely beget a pious fear of him. Be- 
cause he is ''glorious in holiness,'^ he is ''fear- 
ful in praises." "As the approach of a grave 
and serious man makes children hasten their 
trifles out of the way ; so would the considera- 
tion of this attribute make us cast away our 
idols, and our ridiculous thoughts and designs." 
And not only God's majesty and holiness, but 
also his love and mercy beget a great fear of 
him. So says the Psalmist, " There is forgive- 
ness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." 
Psa. 130:4. So sa^^s Paul, "We receiving a 
kingdom, let us have grace, whereby we may 
serve God acceptably with reverence and god- 
ly fear." Heb. 12:28. The same is true of 
f God's power and government. "Thou art 
' great, and thy name is great in might; who 
would not fear thee, King of nations ?'^ Jer. 
10:6,7. Jesus Christ told us to fear him who 
had power to cast into hell. Luke 12:5. 



THE FEAR OF GOD. 291 

In like manner, to fear and tremble at 
Grod's word is an effect produced on the heart 
of all the pious. So the Scriptures teach ; so 
G-od's people experience. And how often does 
Grod awaken sentiments of fear, not only by 
exhibitions of his wrath and displays of his 
power, but by marvellous acts of his grace and 
mercy towards the rebellious and perishing. 
Psa. 40 : 3 ; Acts 2 : 43. 

There are some remarkable examples of 
the fear of God recorded in Scripture. One 
is that of Moses, mentioned in Heb. 12 : 21, 
where it is said that the giving of the law on 
mount Sinai produced the deepest awe and 
even terror. "So terrible was the sight, that 
Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. '^ 
A similar record is made by Isaiah: "In the 
year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the 
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, 
and his train filled the temple. Above it stood 
the seraphim: each one had six wings j with 
twain he covered his face, and with twain he 
covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, 
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole 
earth is full of his glory. And the posts of 
the door moved at the voice of him that cried. 



292 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and tlie house was filled with smoke. Then 
said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because 
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the 
midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine 
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." 
Isa. 6:1-5. 

A still more remarkable effect, if possible, 
was produced on the prophet Habakkuk by 
an unusual display of God's glory. The song 
reads thus: ''God came from Teman, and the 
Holy One from mount Paran. His glory cov- 
ered the heavens, and the earth was full of his 
praise. And his brightness was as the light; 
he had horns coming out of his hand : and there 
was the hiding of his power. Before him went 
the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at 
his feet. He stood, and measured the earth : 
he beheld, and drove asunder the nations ; and 
the everlasting mountains were scattered, the 
perpetual hills did bow: his ways are ever- 
lasting. I saw the tents of Oushan in afflic- 
tion : and the curtains of the land of Midian did 
tremble. Was the Lord displeased against the 
rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? 
was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst 
ride upon thy horses, and thy chariots of sal- 
vation ? Thy bow was made quite naked, ac- 



THE FEAB OF GOD. 293 

cording to the oaths of the tribes, even thy 
word. Thou didst cleave the earth with riv- 
ers. The mountains saw thee, and they trem- 
bled : the overflowing of the water passed by : 
the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up hib 
hands on high. The sun and moon stood still 
in their habitation : at the light of thine arrows 
they went, and at the shining of thy glittering 
spear. Thou didst march through the land in 
indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in 
anger. Thou wentest forth for the salvation 
of thy people, even for salvation with thine 
anointed ; thou woundedst the head out of the 
house of the wicked, by discovering the foun- 
dation unto the neck. Thou didst strike through 
with his staves the head of his villages : they 
came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their 
rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. 
Thou didst walk through the sea with thy 
horses, through the heap of great waters. 
When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips 
quivered at the voice : rottenness entered into 
my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I 
might rest in the day of trouble.'^ Habakkuk 
3 : 3-16. 

A reason given by Paul for serving God 
with reverence and godly fear is, that he ''is a 



294 YITAL GODLINESS. 

consuming fire." Heb. 12:28, 29. A very 
liigli degree of holy fear is therefore well found- 
ed. There is cause for adoring reverence for 
the heavenly Majesty. 

Although there is not much said in modern 
"writers respecting the fear of God, yet it is 
different with those who lived long ago. Thus 
says Bishop Hall, ''There is a fear without 
diffidence, and a trembling that may consist 
with joy. Trembling is an effect of fear, but 
the fear which we must cherish is reverential, 
not slavish, not distrustful. ... I will so dis- 
trust myself, that I may be steadfastly confi- 
dent in the God of my salvation. I will so 
tremble before the glorious majesty of my God, 
that I may not abate aught of the joy of his 
never-failing mercy." So also Bishop Hopkins 
on the first commandment says, "Certainly we 
cannot have the Lord for our God unless we 
supremely fear and reverence him. Yea, a^ 
the love, so the fear of God is made the sum of 
all the commandments, and indeed the sub- 
stance of all religion ] for, although it be but 
one particular branch and member of that wor- 
ship and service which we owe to God, yet 
it is such a remarkable one, and hath such a 
mighty influence upon all the rest, that often- 



THE FEAE OF GOD. 295 

times in Scripture it is put for the whole." 
How clearly too does John Bunyan describe 
this virtue in his account of Mr. Fearing. As 
he says, ''No fears, no grace. Though there 
is not always grace where there is the fear of 
hell, yet to be sure there is no grace where 
there is no fear of Grod.'^ 

Where this fear of God is genuine, it is not 
an occasional exercise, but an abiding princi- 
ple. '' Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the 
day long." Prov. 23:17. ''Happy is the 
man that feareth always." Prov. 28 : 14. 
" Rejoice with trembling." Psa. 2:11. " Pass 
the time of your sojourning here in fear." 
1 Pet. 1:17. We are to "perfect holiness in 
the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7:1. We are to 
work out our "salvation with fear and trem- 
bling." Phil. 2:12. When the Holy Spirit 
rested on Christ, it "made him of quick under- 
standing in the fear of the Lord." Isa. 11 :2, 3. 
So that it is clear that there is, there can be 
no genuine piety without the fear of God. 

Some one may ask how these views agree 
with the statement of John, that "there is no 
fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out fear, 
because fear hath torment. He that feareth 
is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18. 



296 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The proper answer is, that John is here speak- 
ing of servile fear, which, as he says, ''hath 
torment ;'' whereas we are speaking of a fear 
which has no torment. John Newton says, 
*'The Lord bids me 'fear not;' and at the 
same time he says, 'Happy is the man that 
feareth always/ How to fear and not to fear 
at the same time is, I believe, one branch of 
that secret of the Lord which none" can under- 
stand but by the teaching of his Spirit. When 
I think of my heart, of the world, of the pow- 
ers of darkness, what cause of continual fear! 
I am on an enemy's ground, and cannot move 
a step but some snare is spread for my feet. 
But when I think of the person, grace, power, 
care, and faithfulness of my Saviour, why may 
I not say, I will trust and not be afraid, for 
the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob 
is our refuge. I wish to be delivered from 
anxious and unbelieving fear, which weakens 
the hands and disquiets the heart. I wish to 
increase in a humble jealousy and distrust of 
myself and of every thing about me.'' Char- 
nock says, ' ' Men are apt to fear a just recom- 
pense for an injury done to another, that he 
will do him one ill turn for another ; and fear 
is the mother of hatred. God being man's 



THE FEAR OF GOD. 297 

superior, and wronged by him, there follows 
necessarily a slavish fear of him and his power ; 
and such a fear makes wrathful and imbittered 
thoughts of God, while he considers God armed 
with an unconquerable and irresistible power 
to punish him." But the fear which arises from 
just views of the whole of God's character pro- 
duces very different effects, and is in fact very 
different in its nature. 

The benefits of godly fear are many and 
of great value. It is the best preservative 
against sinful and dangerous alliances with the 
wicked . ' ' Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them 
to whom this people shall say, A confederacy ; 
neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanc- 
tify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be 
your fear, and let him be your dread." Isa. 
8:12, 13. How many wicked alliances are 
formed; and for no other reason than that men 
are led into them through a want of sterling 
religious principle. The consequence is, mis- 
ery for ever. From how many distressing 
entanglements men would be rescued by the 
fear of the Lord. 

It also drives away that fear of man which 
bringeth a snare. Christ says, "Be not afraid 
of them that kill the body, and after that have 
13* 



298 VITAL GODLINESS. 

no more that they can do. But I will fore- 
warn you whom ye shall fear : Fear Him, which, 
after he hath killed, hath power to cast into 
hell ; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.'' Luke 
12 : 4, 5. Christ himself proposes the fear of 
Grod as the great remedy for the fear of man. 
KTor is there any other that is found adequate. 
But this is enough. How justly does God re- 
buke that fear of man : ' ' Who art thou, that thou 
shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and 
of the son of man which shall be made as grass ; 
and forgettest the Lord thy Maker, that hath 
stretched forth the heavens, and laid the founda- 
tions of the earth ; and hast feared continually 
every day because of the fury of the oppress- 
or?" Isa. 51 :12, 13. It is not possible for 
us to fear God too much, or man too little. 
And so surely as we have just conceptions of 
the eternal power and majesty of God, we 
shall have no tormenting fear of the puny arm 
of mortals. ' 

The fear of the Lord inspires confidence and 
boldness in a righteous cause. That this is ex- 
perienced by all God's people, has been illus- 
trated in a thousand striking cases in history, 
and is clearly declared in Scripture. '' In the 
fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and his 



THE FEAB OF GOD. 299 

children shall have a place of refuge." Prov. 
14:26. 

The fear of God is the great preservative 
against sin. Than this, nothing could be more 
important. " Ke^ thyself out of sin, and fear 
nothing." If we can resist all temptations to 
sin, and be pure from iniquity, nothing can 
harm us. This may be done by a proper fear 
of Grod. " The fear of the Lord is a fountain 
of life, to depart from the snares of death." 
Prov. 14:27. The care of good men in all 
ages has been against sin. And as their spir- 
itual enemies are very many and insidious, 
they have learned to be much afraid of that 
which in others awakens no apprehension. 
They are cautious about little sins, and their 
cry is, ''Take us the foxes, the little foxes that 
spoil the vines ; for our vines have tender 
grapes." Song 2:15. In ancient vineyards 
a tower was erected, and a watch set there for 
birds, foxes, and thieves, the three great ene- 
mies of the vintage. Birds always, and thieves 
sometimes, approached vineyards in the day- 
time ; but foxes commonly came at night. 
Larger foxes preyed much on poultry and on 
smaller animals, but the young foxes that ven- 
tured abroad resorted much to the vineyards. 



300 VITAL GODLINESS. 

This they did both day and night. They were 
numerous, cunning, greedy, and destructive. 
If there were many of them, they ruined the 
vintage. They did their work slyly. Great 
vigilance was therefore requisite. Some sup- 
pose that in the passage just quoted, ''tender 
grapes" represent young converts. The truth 
is that all Christians, and especially those who 
have but little knowledge of the deceitfalness 
of sin and of the doctrines of Scripture, should 
be ever on their guard. 

But why should we give good heed to little 
things in the Christian life ? It is a fair ques- 
tion ; let it be answered. Many things which 
seem to us little are followed by the greatest 
consequences. One spark of fire has kindled 
a flame that burnt a city. A word has often 
shaped the course of an empire, or determined 
the destiny of a soul. Till we see the end of 
a thing, we cannot tell whether it is to be great 
or small in its effects. On earth we see the 
end of nothing in moral causes. They are 
mighty. They take hold on eternity. Their 
sweep is everlasting. Their effects are much 
more certain than those of natural causes. 
They work incessantly. Our greatest rivers 
have their rise in little springs whose streams 



THE FEAE OF GOB. 301 

are often buried under leaves and shrubs. The 
causes now at work in forming men's charac- 
ter seem contemptible to many. But a leak, 
though not larger than a rye straw, will sooner 
or later sink a ship. The smallest opening 
made by a mole in the bank of a canal will of 
itself grow to a waste of all its waters. One 
weak link in a chain-cable causes the vessel to 
drift on the rocks. One of the most heroic 
deeds ever performed was suggested by the 
perseverance of the ant. A little white pow- 
der or a drop of some poisons is fatal to human 
life. A scratch has brought on inflammation 
that ended in death. A glance of the eye has 
led to crimes that will not be forgotten while 
eternity endures. A sentence has subverted 
the labors and schemes of a lifetime. 

The greater part of human life is made up 
of acts that do not seem great in themselves, 
but the whole series completes the character. 
What is lighter than a word ? Yet for every 
idle word that men shall speak they shall give 
account to God. What is quicker than thought? 
Yet as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. 
As "sands form the mountains and minutes 
make the year," and as syllables compose the 
web of the greatest speeches, so many compar- 



302 VITAL GODLINESS. 

atively trivial acts determine the character. 
One harsh word now, another an hour hence, 
and so on, will prove a man a churl. A few 
irreverent words scattered along through a 
day mark a man as profane. One stealthy 
act of pilfering proves a man a thief. He who 
would not be convicted of grand larceny, must 
avoid petty larceny. He who would not defile 
his soul with perjury, must eschew lying. He 
who would not be found a liar, must beware 
of equivocation. The sum of human character 
is made up of many apparently small things. 
Every great stream is fed by many lesser 
ones. 

But what are the ''little foxes?'' One 
says they are worldly thoughts. This is true. 
Another says they are wrong opinions. This 
is as true. Another, no less wisely, says they 
are our hidden corruptions, our sinful appe- 
tites and passions, that destroy our graces and 
comforts, quash good motions, and crush good 
beginnings. When men fear not little sins, 
they will soon fall into presumptuous iniqui- 
ties. When they are not conscientious about 
minor duties, they will soon fail in weightier 
matters. He who cannot walk well, cannot 
run well. Envy is the forerunner of murder, 



THE FEAB OF GOD. 308 

and naturally leads to it. Covetousness is the 
fountain of all theft. As a grain of sand will 
fret a sound eye and make it weep, so the least 
sin perceived will tenderly affect a good con- 
iscience. We must take and destroy these lit- 
tle foxes by a right use of the word of Grod. 
It is clear. It is pure. By it are all Grod's 
servants warned. We must watch day and 
night. We must pray frequently and fer- 
vently. We must have the Holy Grhost dwell- 
ing in us. We must make constant applica- 
tion to the blood of cleansing. Above all, we 
must be in the fear of the Lord all the day long. 
Blessed is the man who avoids little sins and 
minds little duties ; in the great steps of life he 
shall not be covered with dishonor. His heart 
is right. God is with him. Christ will never 
forsake him. " The fear of the Lord is clean, 
enduring for ever.'^ 

Another benefit flowing from the fear of 
the Lord is freedom from worldly anxiety. 
In the passage quoted from Habakkuk we saw 
how wonderfully the fear of God took posses- 
sion of the prophet. In the words immediately 
following he gives us that triumphant song: 
"Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, nei- 
ther shall fruit be in the vines j the labor of the 



304 VITAL GODLINESS. 

olive shall fail, and tlie fields shall yield no 
meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, 
and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I 
will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God 
of my salvation. The Lord Grod is my strength, 
and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and 
he will make me to walk upon my high places." 
Hab. 3 : 17-19. Thus the greatest degree of 
holy trembling was followed by the highest 
degree of freedom from carking care about 
temporal affairs. All this is according to the 
promise, "The fear of the Lord tendeth to 
life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; 
he shall not be visited with evil.'' Prov. 
19:23. 

The fear of Grod also quiets the afflicted 
soul, and hushes all its agitations on the bosom 
of the Eternal. Thus David speaks: ''0 Grod, 
thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, 
thou hast been displeased ; turn thyself to 
us again. Thou hast made the earth to trem- 
ble ; thou hast broken it : heal the breaches 
thereof; for it shaketh. Thou hast showed 
thy people hard things : thou hast made us to 
drink the wine of astonishment." In the midst 
of all this distress and perplexity, what shall 
be done? Who has courage and strength? 



THE FEAR OF GOD. 305 

The very next words are, ''Thou hast given 
a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be 
displayed because of the truth." Psa. 60 : 1-4. 

The fear of the Lord also leads to com- 
munion with God. This is abundantly taught 
in Scripture. '' The secret of the Lord is with 
them that fear him ; and he will show them his 
covenant." Psa. 25 :14. Again," "The Lord 
taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those 
that hope in his mercy." Psa. 147 : 11. 

The cultivation of the fear of the Lord is 
the best means we can use to promote and 
retain revivals of genuine religion. Thus Luke, 
describing the state of the early church, says, 
"Then had the churches rest throughout all 
Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edi- 
fied ; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and 
in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multi- 
plied." Acts 9 : 31. 

On the other hand, if religion be not re- 
vived, if the love of many wax cold, and wick- 
edness abound, here is the way to avoid guilt 
and to please God. The prophet Malachi 
lived in times of unusual and dreadful apostasy 
and sin, when men called the proud happy, 
when they that wrought wickedness were set 
up, when they that tempted God were even 



806 VITAL GODLINESS. 

delivered. Yet he says, ''Then they that 
feared the Lord spake often one to another; 
and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a 
book of remembrance was written before him 
for them that feared the Lord, and that thought ' 
upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith 
the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up 
my jewels ; and I will spare them as a man 
spareth his own son that serveth him.^^ Mai. 
3:16, 17. 

In fine, without the fear of the Lord no 
service is acceptable, however decent, how- 
ever costly, however painful. But with the 
fear of Grod, any commanded service is pleas- 
ing to God, however poor our offering may 
otherwise be. ''Let us hear the conclusion 
of the whole matter : Fear Grod and keep his 
commandments, for this is the whole duty of 
man.'' Eccl. 12 : 13. 



HOPE. 307 



CHAPTER XIV. 

HOPE. , 

"With some it is common to speak sliglit- 
ingly of hope. Surely sucli do not draw their 
views from the word of God, nor from the ex- 
perience of his people. These well agree in 
giving it a high place among the Christian 
graces, and in declaring its excellence and 
usefulness. ''We are saved by hope." We 
are rescued from the fell influences of despair, 
we are aroused and animated in our whole 
course, and are finally made victorious by the 
power of hope. This is one of the great bands 
which holds together the church of God. As 
"there is one body and one Spirit, .... one 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Fa- 
ther of all," so also "ye are called in one hope 
of your calling." 

Hope consists of desire and expectation. 
It is the opposite of fear, which is composed of 
aversion and expectation. Richard Baxter 
says, "Hope is nothing but a desirous expec- 
tation." It is also the opposite of despair, 
which, though it desires, does not expect. 



308 VITAL GODLINESS. 

When we regard any thing as impossible, we 
cannot hope for it, although we may greatly 
wish for it. As to the general nature of hope 
there is no dispute. 

The hope of the Christian is a longing ex- 
pectation of all good things both for this and 
the next world. It embraces all the mercy, 
truth, love, and faithfulness promised in Scrip- 
ture. It lays hold of the perfections and gov- 
ernment of Grod as the sure foundation of its 
expectations. It has special reference to the 
person, offices, and exaltation of the Lord Je- 
sus Christ. In Scripture the word not only 
means the sentiment already described, but 
sometimes it is used for the thing hoped for. 
Thus Paul speaks to the Colossians of ''the 
hope which was laid up for" them in heaven, 
where he plainly designates the good things 
hoped for. The hope of a Christian relates to 
the whole of what is promised in Grod's word. 
There grace is promised. And on every child 
of God comes the blessing : ' ' Behold, the eyei 
of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon, 
them that hope in his mercy." In like man- 
ner hope finds aliment in all the divine per- 
fections. It looks for them to be continually 
exercised for its good. Thus it expects bread 



HOPE. 309 

and water, raiment and shelter, guidance and 
protection during life, with a blessed victory 
in death. It goes further. Each Christian can 
say as Paul, ''I have hope towards God . . . . 
that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, 
both of the just and of the unjust." Yea, more, 
he is always ''looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of our God and 
Saviour Jesus Christ.'^ Yea, more, the souls 
of believers are sustained ''in hope of eternal 
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised be- 
fore the world began." 

The living agent, who is at once the author 
and object of pious hope, is God himself. Ac- 
cordingly pious men cry out, "Why art thou 
cast down, my soul? and why art thou dis- 
quieted within me ? hope thou in God : for I 
shall yet praise him for the help of his counte- 
nance." One of the dearest names by which 
God is known to his people is that of "The 
Hope of' Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time 
of trouble." To the end of time "the Lord 
will be the hope of his people, and the strength 
of the" true Israel. There is none like him. 
He is "the God of hope." 

All genuine Christian hope is a fruit of the 
mercy of God to sinners. It comes from heav- 



310 VITAL GODLINESS. 

en, and not from men. Yain, carnal hopes 
spring up spontaneously in the human soul. 
But truly pious hopes have a heavenly origin. 
Therefore when Paul would have the Romans 
abound in this grace, he prayed, ''Now the 
Grod of hope fill you with all joy and peace in 
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through 
the power of the Holy Ghost." Rom. 15 ; 13. 
God ''hath given us everlasting consolation 
and good hope through grace.'' 2 Thess. 2:16. 
This is the first great difference between a true 
and a false hope in religion. The former is 
from above ; the latter is from beneath. One 
is God- inspired ; the other has, Satan for its 
author. 

The second mark of true religious hope is, 
that it is no vain persuasion, no idle dream, 
but a sure expectation. It rests upon an im- 
movable foundation, God's unchanging word 
and oath and covenant. "We through the 
Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by 
faith." "We shall not be disappointed. This 
"hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both 
sure and steadfast, and which entereth into 
that within the veil." His word is pledged in 
every form. "I will be a God to theej" "I 
will never leave thee, nor forsake theej" "Be- 



HOPE. 311 

cause I live, ye shall live also;" ''Them that 
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 
These are but samples of his word. To these 
he has added his oath: *'I have sworn that I 
would not be wroth with thee: for the mountains 
shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my 
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither 
shall the covenant of my peace be removed, 
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Isa. 
64 : 9, 10. Here we have his covenant as well 
as his oath. Indeed it is a covenant estab- 
lished upon promises and oaths. Elsewhere 
God says, "I will make a new covenant with 
the house of Israel ; not according to the cov- 
enant I made with their fathers, which my 
covenant they brake, although I was a hus- 
band unto them." Jer. 31 :31, 32. Behold here 
are the sure mercies of David. God bids us 
rest our all on him, and ta|je his veracity for 
the basis of all our hopes. The wicked have 
no such foundation for their delusive expecta- 
tions. Their hopes are all like a dream when 
one awaketh. They vanish before the realities 
of life, before any right test of truth. But the 
hope of the righteous endureth. It is the an- 
chor, the sheet-anchor. It holds all steady, 
and enables the soul to outride the storms of 



312 VITAL GODLINESS. 

sorrow which God permits to beat upon it. 
Behold here the excellent use of Scripture. 
''For whatsoever things were written afore- 
time were written for our learning, that we 
through patience and comfort of the Scriptures 
might have hope." Eom. 15 : 4. Therefore a 
favorite form of prayer is that of pleading the 
promises: ''Eemember the word unto thy ser- 
vant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope." 
Psa. 119:49. This blessed hope, more than 
most things, makes Christians helpers of each 
other's faith and joy. ''They that fear thee 
will be glad when they see me ; because I have 
hoped in thy word." Psa. 119 : 74. 

A third difference between a true and false 
hope is, that the former is the fruit of the me- 
diation of Christ, and has special regard to him 
as a Redeemer ; while the latter quite neglects 
his finished worl% Many hope for impunity, 
and yet despise gospel grace. But a truly 
good hope always has a chief reliance upon 
Christ. Therefore Paul says of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that he "is our hope." 1 Tim. 1 :1. 
If you ever have a genuine "hope of glory," it 
must spring from "Christ in you." Col. 1 : 27. 
Legal hope is just the opposite of evangelical. 
The former springs from supposed personal 



HOPE 313 

obedience to the law ; the latter relies upon 
Christ's obedience unto death. These two can- 
not agree. You must look to Christ exclusive- 
ly, or not at all. If this be so, some may ask, 
What is the difference between faith and hope? 
To this question the answer is, that though 
they are distinct, yet they are cognate exer- 
cises of the mind. Haldane says, ''By faith 
we believe the promises made to us by God ; 
by hope we expect to receive the good things 
which God has promised; so that faith hath 
properly for its object the promise, and hope 
hath for its object the things promised and the 
execution of the promise. Faith regards its 
object as present, but hope regards it as future. 
Faith precedes hope, and is its foundation. 
We hope for eternal life, because we believe 
the promises which God has made respecting 
it ; and if we believe these promises, we must 
expect their effect.'^ Leigh ton says, "The dif- 
ference of these two graces, faith and Ao^e, is 
so small, that the one is often taken for the 
other in Scripture ; it is but a different aspect 
of the same confidence, faith apprehending the 
infallible truth of those divine promises of 
which hope doth assuredly expect the accom- 
plishment, and that is their truth j so that this 

Vital Godlinesg. 14 



314 VITAL GODLINESS. 

immediately results from the other. This is 
the anchor fixed within the veil which keeps 
the soul firm against all the tossings on these 
swelling seas, and the winds and tempests that 
arise upon them. The firmest thing in this 
inferior world is a believing soul." But like 
faith, hope admits of degrees, varying from a 
faint expectation, Psa. 42 : 5, to a '' full assur- 
ance." Heb. 6 : 11. Like faith, it always 
keeps Christ in view. Like faith, also, it will 
last until death, and then give place to enjoy- 
ment; ''for what a man hath, why doth he yet 
hope for?" Let us therefore "hold fast the 
confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope firm 
unto the end." Heb. 3 : 6. ''Wherefore gird 
up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope 
to the end for the grace that is to be brought 
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
1 Pet. 1:13. 

A fourth dijfference between a true and 
false hope in religion is, that the former is op- 
erative, and produces powerful,*' happy eftects; 
while the latter is inoperative and dead. The 
hope of the Christian is expressly said to be 
"lively." 1 Pet. 1:3. It has life in itself, 
and communicates animation to the soul. It 
arouses, awakens, and gives vigor to the mind. 



HOPE. 315 

It produces the grandest effects, making the 
people of God triumphant over all their foes 
and fears, and bearing them up when all ap- 
pearances are discouraging. But a dead hope 
is without any abiding effect. It does no good 
in the day of trial. 

A fifth difference between a true and a 
false hope is, that the former leads to holiness, 
while the latter begets carelessness. Of gen- 
uine Christian hope it is said, that "ever}^ man 
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, 
even as Christ is pure.'' 1 John 3:3. The 
stronger it is, the greater is the soul's aversion 
to evil. But the hope of the deluded makes 
him reckless. To him sin is a trifle, and holi- 
ness a thing of naught. This indeed is the 
great difference between all genuine and all 
spurious hopes. If any of our religious affec- 
tions or mental exercises do not tend to holi- 
ness, we may surely know that they are not of 
God. 

A sixth difference is, that a spurious hope 
gives no support when we most need help ; but 
a genuine hope bears up our souls above all 
our foes. Leighton says, "Hope is the great 
stock of believers. It is that which upholds 
them under all the faintings and sorrows of 



316 VITAL GODLINESS. 

their mind in this life, and in their going 
'through the valley and shadow of death.' 
It is the 'helmet of their salvation/ which, 
while they are looking over to eternity, be- 
yond this present time, covers and keeps men 
head-safe amid all the darts that fly around 
them." 

According to God's word, genuine Chris- 
tian hope has many and important uses. It 
does great things for the soul. 

1. It makes us patient in tribulation. '' If 
we hope for that we see not, then do we with 
patience wait for it.'' Accordingly Paul alike 
commends in the Thessalonians ' ' the work of 
faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope 
in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 1:3. To 
this happy effect of this grace Jeremiah refers 
when he says, "It is good that a man should 
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of 
the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear 
the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone, and 
keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon 
him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so 
be there may be hope." Lam. 3 : 26-29. All 
Scripture and all experience show, that through 
much tribulation we must enter the kingdom 
of Grod. We can purchase no exemption. Pa- 



HOPE. 317 

tience must have her perfect, work. Patience 
is fed by hope. It is thus we are supported 
in trials. What but this can give strength in 
the day of trouble ? The church of God has 
often waded through rivers of blood; she has 
often been bound in affliction and iron; the 
fiercest onsets ever made upon her have often 
threatened something still worse "; yet hope has 
begotten patience, a patience that could not be 
worn out. Despondency is unquiet, dissatis- 
fied, and full of pain; but hope cries, "Be 
thou faithful unto death, and Christ will give 
thee a crown of life." 

2. Hope also gives courage in facing dan- 
ger, and fortitude in enduring pain. "Hope 
maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God 
is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost 
which is given unto us.'^ Rom. 5:5. Unless 
we have " for a helmet, the hope of salvation," 
1 Thess. 5 : 8, we shall but play the coward in 
the day of battle. Here is the great difference 
between the real child of God and the self- 
deceiver. The former has an expectation of 
future glory which makes present ignominy to 
be esteemed as nothing. The latter has per- 
haps some vague hope of future good, but he 
has never relinquished his hold of present 



818 VITAL GODLINESS. 

good. So when he finds he must let go either 
the present or the future, he always cleaves to 
the present, vainly purposing hereafter to seize 
upon the things to come. Every man who 
knows any thing at all of his own heart, is pain- 
fully convinced of his sad timidity and wicked 
shame as to all that is good, until God by his 
grace gives him the hope of the gospel. In- 
deed, such is the fearful sway of shame over 
many minds, that some persons have seemed 
to think that almost the only hinderance to 
men's salvation. Our blessed Saviour was 
not beating the air nor giving a vain warning 
when he said, "Whosoever therefore shall be 
ashamed of me and of my words in this adul- 
terous and sinful generation j of him also shall 
the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh 
in the glory of his Father, with the holy an- 
gels.'' Mark 8 : 38. You will never be able 
to overcome your natural shame of religion 
but by a "good hope through grace." 

3. The great animating principle in labor 
is hope. This encourages the mariner, the hus- 
bandman, and every industrial class. This is 
no less the animating principle in labors for the 
spread of the gospel, the good of men, and the 
glory of God. Thus Paul argued : " It is writ- 



HOPE. 319 

ten in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle 
the mouth of the ox, that treadeth out the corn. 
Doth God care for oxen? Or saith he it alto- 
gether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, 
this is written: that he that plougheth should 
plough in hope ; and that he that thresheth in 
hope should be partaker of his hope." 1 Cor. 
9:9,10. What would the apostles have effected 
but for a hope that entered within the veil? 
They had regard to the recompense of the re- 
ward in a future life. God never puts and 
keeps his people at work for him without ade- 
quate motives, without influences suited to their 
nature as men. 

4. Christian hope is the great nourisher of 
Christian joy. "We rejoice in hope of the 
glory of God." Eom. 5 : 2. Our present cir- 
cumstances have in them much to make us sad 
and desponding. But hope looks to the future, 
when the glory of God shall be revealed in us. 
So steadfastly does hope take hold on what is 
future, that both Haldane and Hodge propose 
to read the first clause of Eom. 8 :24, " We 
are saved in hope f meaning thereby that we 
are saved in prospect, in expectation. No 
Christian in this life is in full possession of all 
the blessings of salvation. He has indeed 



320 VITAL GODLINESS. 

foretastes, earnests, pledges of good things to 
come, but not the very things themselves. Yet 
his title to eternal life is good, is perfect. Noth- 
ing could be more so. In due time deliverance 
shall come in all its fulness. As "rejoicing in 
hope" is a duty, Eom. 12 : 12, so it is a great 
privilege. Charnock says, "Desired happi- 
ness affects the soul ; much more expected hap- 
piness. Joy is the natural issue of a well- 
grounded hope. A tottering expectation will 
engender but a tottering delight; such a de- 
light will madmen have, which is rather to be 
pitied than desired. But if an imaginary hope 
can affect the heart with some real joy, much 
more a hope settled upon a sure bottom, and 
raised upon a good foundation ; there may be 
joy in a title as well as in possession." 

5. It is Christian hope that makes death 
easy and comfortable. God's people know 
that their flesh shall rest in hope. They know 
who it is that has said, " Thy dead men shall 
live ; together with my dead body shall they 
arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust : 
for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the 
earth shall cast out the dead." Isa.' 26:19. 
Job disarmed death of all his terrors by being 
able to lay hold on this very truth. So did 



HOPE. 321 

Paul also, and so have thousands of the humble 
people of God. 

In short, we may well unite with Owen in 
saying that "hope is a glorious grace, where- 
unto blessed effects are ascribed in the Scrip- 
ture, and an effectual operation unto the sup- 
portment and consolation of believers. By it 

we are purified, sanctified, and saved 

Where Christ evidenceth his presence with us, 
he gives us an infallible hope of glory ; he gives 
us an assured pledge of it, and works our souls 
into an expectation of it. Hope in general is 
but an uncertain expectation of a future good 
which we desire. But as it is a gospel grace, 
all uncertainty is removed from it which would 
hinder us of the advantage intended in it. It 
is an earnest expectation proceeding from faith, 
trust, and confidence, accompanied with long- 
ing desires of enjoyment. . . . The height of 
the actings of all grace issues in a well-ground- 
ed hope ; nor can it rise any higher.'' Rom. 
5 : 4, 5. 

So that if what has been said be true, there 
is no force whatever in the infidel objection 
respecting the want of certainty as to eternal 
things. They are as certain as the existence 
and perfections of God — as certain as eternal 

14* 



322 VITAL GODLINESS. 

truth and justice can make tliem. If our hope 
is weak, it is yet sure. What there is of it will 
never be disappointed. Nay, its largest expec- 
tations will be infinitely more than realized. 
Grod will do exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think. Our hope is uncertain 
in no other sense than that it lays but feeble 
hold of things which it ought to seize with the 
utmost tenacity. Therefore to say that the 
Christian's hope is full of uncertainty is an un- 
truth, unless men simply mean to say that the 
virtuous principle, even in good men, is weak. 
This all good men confess and bewail. 

Nor do wicked angels and men offer us any 
thing worth our attention when they invite us 
to forego spiritual for carnal hopes, to give up 
the next world and lay fast hold of this. For 
what is this mortal life without the hope of the 
gospel ? Is any thing more uncertain ? What 
is more delusive than worldly hopes? The 
conqueror of yesterday is the prisoner of to- 
day ; the rich man of to-day is the beggar of 
to-morrow. Pleasures bring pains; honors 
provoke envy ; and what is more malicious or 
mischievous than that ? Riches vex us while 
we have them, and may leave us any moment. 
He who forsakes heavenly for earthly hopes, 



HOPE. 323 

prefers the chaff to the wheat; he snuffs the 
wind, and delivers himself over to vanity. 

Christians should therefore labor to be rid 
of all sinful despondency. True, our frames 
change, but Grod's nature and counsels are im- 
mutable. Our salvation is made sure, not by 
our strength, but by the strength of God ; not 
by our goodness, but by the merits of the Re- 
deemer ; not by our wisdom, but by the wis- 
dom of Grod. Grod sometimes withdraws, that 
we may learn our utter helplessness. John 
Newton says, "If I may speak my own ex- 
perience, I find that to keep my eye simply 
upon Christ as my jpeace and my life, is by far 
the hardest part of my calling. Through mer- 
cy he enables me to avoid what is wrong in the 
sight of men ; but it seems easier to deny self 
in a thousand instances of outward conduct 
than in its ceaseless endeavors to act as a 
principle of righteousness and power.^^ Yet to 
yield in this point is ultimately to sink into 
despondency. All good and lively and endur- 
ing hope springs from the cross alone. ''Let 
Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord 
there is mercy, and with him is plenteous re- 
demption.'' Psa. 130:7. 

And how rich an inheritance have all the 



324 VITAL GODLINESS. 

saints in God. He is their hope and their 
portion, their refuge and the rock of their in- 
heritance. Bishop Hall said, "0 my God, I 
shall not be worthy of my eyes if I think I can 
employ them better than in looking up to thy 
heaven ; and I shall not be worth}^ to look up 
to heaven if I suffer my eyes to rest there, and 
not look through heaven to thee, the almighty 
Maker and Ruler of it, who dwellest there in 
all glory and majesty; and if, seeing thee, I do 
not always adore thee, and find my soul taken 
up with awful and admiring thoughts concern- 
ing thee. . . . While others look at the mo- 
tions, let me look at the Mover, and adore that 
infinite power and wisdom which preserve 
those numberless and immense bodies in such 
perfect regularity." While others grow wiser, 
let us grow more holy. While they trust in 
the creature, and make flesh their arm, let us 
set our faith and hope in God. Let us think 
upon his name. If we are really his, we shall 
ever be with him. You cannot dwell too much 
on future glory. Nor can you overestimate 
the value of your future inheritance. It is 
worth ten thousand worlds. It is worth a 
thousand times more than any man ever en- 
dured for it. Men of the world often congrat- 



HOPE. 325 

ulate each other on their prospects. But Chris- 
tians may well give each other joy in view of 
their bright future, their sure and certain 
hopes. "Hope, like a star in the firmament, 
shines the brighter as the shadows of sorrow 
darken. A new view opens to us. We live 
in the prospect of another and a happier 
world," says Dr. John James. " A poet well 
describes this grace when he says, 

"Hope, like a cordial, innocent though strong, 
Man's heart at once inspirits and serenes, 
Nor makes him pay his wisdom for his joys." 

How dismal are the prospects of the poor 
guilty sinner! Scripture describes such as 
''without Christ, being aliens from the common- 
wealth of Israel, and strangers from the cove- 
nants of promise, having no hope, and without 
God in the world.'^ Eph. 2 : 12. Could more 
dreadful destitution exist? The question has 
sometimes been raised. What will be the in- 
gredients of future misery ? No man may be 
able to give a full answer. But it is certain 
that a poor soul, as destitute as sinners are 
here, and then shut out from all that now ren- 
ders existence tolerable, must be dreadfully 
and eternally undone. "The day cometh'' — 
Oh how soon it will be here! — which "shall 



326 VITAL GODLINESS. 

burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and 
all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the 
day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the 
Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither 
root nor branch." And as the wicked die 
without hope, without Christ, without God, so 
shall they continue without them for ever. 

Unconverted sinner, ask thy soul a few 
questions of great weight. 

1. What shall it profit a man, if he gain the 
whole world and lose his own soul ? 

2. Did ever any harden himself against the 
Lord, and prosper? 

3. Can thy hands be strong,, or thy heart 
endure, when he shall deal with thee ? 

4. What wilt thou answer when he shall 
punish thee? 

5. How can you escape, if you neglect so 
great salvation ? 



LOVE TO GOD. 327 

CHAPTER XV. 

LOVE TO GOD. 

That love to God is a pressing duty is 
manifest from all the Scriptures. By Moses 
God said, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy might." Deut. 6:5. "And now, 
Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of 
thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in 
all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all 
thy soul V' Deut. 10 : 12. '' Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and 
his statutes, and his judgments, and his com- 
mandments, alway." Deut. 11:1. "It shall 
come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto 
my commandments which I command you this 
day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve 
him with all your heart and with all your soul, 
that I will give you the rain of your land in his 
due season." Deut. 11 : 13. "If ye shall dil- 
igently keep all these commandments which I 
command you, to do them, to love the Lord 
your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave 



328 VITAL GODLINESS. 

unto him J tlien will the Lord drive out all 
these nations from before you." Deut. 11 : 22. 
"If thou shalt keep all these commandments 
to do them, which I command thee this day, to 
love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his 
ways ; then shalt thou add three cities more for 
thee." Deut. 19 : 9. '' The Lord thy God will 
circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, 
to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." 
Deut. 30:6. Again, ''Know therefore that 
the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, 
which keepeth covenant and mercy with them 
that love him and keep his commandments to 
a thousand generations." Deut. 7:9. The 
same duty is clearly and repeatedly urged in 
other parts of the same book. 

Thus it appears that in his early revela- 
tions, love to God was greatly insisted on as a 
high duty ; that its nature was well explained ; 
that men were taught that it well agreed with 
fear ; that it always produced the fruit of obe- 
dience ; that great blessings, temporal and spir- 
itual, were connected with it ; and that it was 
one of the promises of the covenant that God 
would implant this grace in the hearts of his 
people. 



LOVE TO GOD. 329 

When our Saviour came, he dwelt much on 
the love of God, declared it the greatest and 
first duty of men, essential to true religion, and 
incapable of being substituted by outward ob- 
servances. His apostles taught the same doc- 
trine. 

It may be well to observe that love to God 
includes the three Persons of" the Trinity. 
Love to the Father is not different from love 
to the Son or to the Holy Spirit. In each 
case it is the same. He who loves him that 
begat, also loves him that was begotten of him. 
He who loves the Son loves the Father, for he 
and the Father are one. One person of the 
Trinity is no less lovely than another. All 
the persons of the Godhead are the same in 
substance and in attributes, though having dif- 
ferent oflGices in man's salvation. Love to either 
person is love to God. Love to God is love 
to all the persons of the Godhead. Let this 
view be retained in mind. It will prevent 
many painful and perplexing doubts respect- 
ing our duty. He who honors the Son, honors 
the Father and the Spirit. He who loves the 
Spirit is sure to love the Father and the Son. 

It should be stated that love to God is 
sometimes spoken of in Scripture as properly 



330 VITAL GODLINESS. 

expressive of an affection of the mind, and 
sometimes it is used figuratively as a fit terfii 
to designate the whole of religion, or all the 
fruits of genuine love to Grod. In most eases 
there is little difficulty in learning the precise 
sense in which it is to be taken. Nor is this 
variation in the sense of a term confined to the 
word love, nor to the modes of speaking adopt- 
ed by the inspired writers. Several of the 
Christian graces are spoken of in the same 
way in Scripture. And in all the best writ- 
ers of our language a part is often put for the 
whole. 

It is also proper to say that the phrase, the 
hve of Qod, as used in Scripture, has two 
senses. Sometimes it expresses our love to 
Grod. Thus our Saviour said, ''Woe unto 
you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and 
all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment 
and the love of God.'' Luke 11 : 42. Again, 
''I know you, that ye have not the love of Grod 
in you.'^ John 5 : 42. In like manner Paul 
says, ''Hope maketh not ashamed ; because the 
love of Grod is shed abroad in our hearts by 
the Holy Grhost which is given unto us." Rom. 
5 : 5. John also says, "This is the love of God, 
that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5 : 3. 



LOVE TO GOD. 331 

In like manner Jude says, ''Keep yourselves 
in the love of God." Jude 21. In all these 
and many other places, by " the love of God/' 
is to be understood love to God. 

But in the following texts, ''the love of 
God" means God's love to us. "Nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be 
able to separate us from the ■ love of God, 
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 
8:39. "God commendeth his love toward 
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ 
died for us." Rom. 5 : 8. The same sense 
attaches to the phrase elsewhere. But this 
variation produces no confusion. The import 
in any one passage of Scripture is clear. We 
have just the same form of speech when we 
discourse of the love of a father or mother, 
where we may either intend the love of a par- 
ent to a child, or that of a child to a parent. 

Love to God is commonly spoken of under 
three distinctions. 

1. There is the love of gratitude. As in- 
gratitude is one of the basest vices, embracing 
almost all others, so gratitude is one of the 
noblest virtues, and is never found but with 
many others in its train. The judgment of 
mankind fully sustains this view. A cele- 



832 VITAL GODLINESS. 

brated writer says, "He that calls a man un- 
grateful, sums up all the evil tha't a man can 
be guilty of." Yet how common is this vice. 
Seneca says, "If it were actionable, there 
would not be courts enough in the whole world 
to try the cases in." On the other hand, grat- 
itude is a noble virtue. It carries much that 
is just and amiable with it. A deaf mute is 
said to have defined it to be " the memory of 
the heart." It is wonderful that some refin- 
ing philosophers and divines, who have been 
thought very fond of distinctions, even where 
there was no difference, have not been able to 
discriminate between love to the gift and love 
to the giver, and so have made gratitude a 
sordid affection. This is the more marvellous 
in theologians, as the Bible always speaks well 
of gratitude to God. If this be not so, we have 
no safe rule for interpreting such texts as the 
following: "We love him, because he first 
loved us." "I love the Lord because he hath 
heard my voice and my supplications. Be- 
cause he hath inclined his ear unto me, there- 
fore will I call upon him as long as I live." 
"Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for 
she loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, 
the same loveth little." He who loves God as 



LOVE TO GOD. 333 

David, Maiy, and John, lias the genuine affec- 
tion demanded by the word of Grod. There is 
on earth no love to God without warm and 
lively gratitude. The unconverted rejoice in 
the gifts of God, and often pervert them to 
their carnal gratifications. Such have no gen- 
uine holy gratitude. They even despise his 
chief gifts, his unspeakable gift," his Son, and 
his precious gift of the Spirit. Holy gratitude 
would never leave men to such daring wicked- 
ness. It would mightily draw them to God. 
Alas for us : " We inscribe our afflictions upon 
a rock, and the characters remain ; we write 
our mercies in the sand of the sea-shore, and 
the first wave of trouble washes them out."* 

2. There is the love of complacency. This 
consists in delight in the character of him whom 
we love. The entire nature and perfections of 
God are amiable and admirable. Mere power, 
separated from wisdom and goodness, is not 
amiable, though it may be wonderful. But we 
never separate God's attributes, though we dis- 
tinguish between them. Infinite power, guided 
by infinite love and infinite skill, is a rock of 
delight. That was a great revelation to the 
patriarch, ''I am the Almighty God.'^ In it 

* Jay. 



334 VITAL GODLINESS. 

the saints have ever since rejoiced. To a 
wicked man the omniscience of God is a source 
of terror and aversion. To him who loves 
God it is a fountain of delight. He heartily 
invokes the scrutiny of him who knows all 
hearts. He cries, ''Search me, God, and 
know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts, 
and see if there be any wicked way in me." 
So that those who love God delight even in 
his natural attributes. Without these he 
would be no God to them. Yet the moral 
perfections of God are special objects of direct 
complacency. All the saints delight in that 
proclamation which Jehovah made of himself 
to Moses: ''The Lord, the Lord God, merciful 
and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in 
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thou- 
sands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and 
sin, and that will by no means clear the guil- 
ty.'' No regenerate person would think the 
character here drawn improved by the omis- 
sion of a single trait. All is lovely. This love 
of complacency in God is mighty in its power. 
Show me a child of God, and I will show you 
one who loves to sing, "Whom have I in 
heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth 
that I desire besides thee." The highest point 



LOVE TO GOD. 335 

of holy deliglit in the character of God is 
reached when his glorious attributes are seen 
harmoniously uniting in the production of some 
vast and happy result. This is a chief part of 
our pleasure in contemplating the plan of sal- 
vation. There mercy and truth, righteousness 
and peace, wisdom and power, goodness and 
severity, wrath and love, strangely and illus- 
triously meet and embrace each other. They 
unitedly produce glory to Grod in the highest, 
and at the same time peace on earth, good-will 
to men. This scheme will form a perpetual 
study to men and angels. I am not surprised 
that angels desire to look into it. I wonder 
not that heaven is filled with thundering halle- 
lujahs to Grod and the Lamb for ever and ever. 
In this plan of mercy, as in a lens, all the rays 
of the divine glory meet. Yet their brightness 
may be endured. The flesh of the Son of God 
is a veil which hinders the radiance from be- 
ing intolerable. Yet on earth he was seen 
'' full of grace and truth." " The fulness of the 
Godhead" dwelt in him bodily. The great 
attraction of the moral law is, that it is a copy 
of God's character. The great source of pious 
delight in Scripture is, that it is the word of 
God. Creation and providence are never so 



336 VITAL GODLINESS. 

exalted themes of delightful contemplation as 
when we most fully regard them as the results 
of God's matchless excellence. Redemption 
gets all its glories here. 

3. There is also the love of good-will. It 
manifests itself in pity to the miserable, in 
forgiveness to the injurious, in compassion to 
the weak, in pleasure at the good estate of 
those whom we love. God is infinitely above 
us, and never needs our compassion. Even 
Jesus Christ, the sufferings of whose human 
nature once held the inanimate creation in 
strange sympathy, suffers no more. He has 
overcome, and is set down on his throne. He 
was dead, but he is alive for evermore. God 
is holy, and has done us no wrong. "We may 
in our pride complain of him, and dream of 
forgiving him ; but the Judge of all the earth 
makes no mistakes, and is never unkind or un- 
just. Neither is Jehovah accountable to us. 
We cannot without presumption revise his de- 
cisions, or find fault with his judgments. Though 
we greatly need forgiveness from him, he has 
no need of ours. Nor can we be profitable 
unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable 
unto himself, or as he that is kind may be 
advantageous to his friend. It is no gain to 



LOVE TO GOD. 337 

the Almighty that we cleanse our ways. But 
we can evince our good-will to those who are 
quite beyond the need of our aid. Towards 
God we can manifest it in many ways. We 
can show benevolence to his people, especially 
those of them who are greatly afflicted. In- 
deed, he has constituted them the receivers of 
our bounty in his place. Whatsoever is done 
to them is done to him. We can show our 
good- will towards God by honoring him, by 
rejoicing in the worship which others render 
to him, and by delighting in the advancement 
of his glory. This love is the great animating 
principle in heartily praying, "Hallowed be 
thy name : thy kingdom come ; thy will be 
done in earth as it is done in heaven." This 
love is wonderful, passing the love of woman. 
It fills the heart with all gladness when God 
is glorified and his name exalted. 

Though we thus distinguish the acts of 
love, yet they are all performed by the same 
person. They all proceed from the same pious 
affection. In many respects they all agree. 
They all strengthen a gracious character. All 
love to God has for its object the same Being, 
the Three in One, Him who is infinite, eternal, 
unchangeable in his wisdom, power, holiness, 

VUsI GodlinMS. 15 



338 VITAL GODLINESS. 

justice, goodness, and truth. All the exercises 
of love are refreshing. They awaken not pain- 
ful emotions. All the kindly affections pro- 
duce pleasant effects. Whoever enjoys the 
luxury of having his heart drawn out to God 
in gratitude, complacency, or good-will, would 
fain continue in that state always. 

It is not of the nature of true love to God 
to count the cost, or to make much of its ser- 
vices. Even as Jacob served seven years for 
Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few 
days for the love he had to her; so the true 
friend of God is sustained through a life of trial 
and sorrow by his love to God. 

''While duty portions out tlie debt it owes 
With, scrupulous precision and nice justice, 
Love never measures, but profusely gives ; 
Gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, its all. 
And trembles ilien, lest it has done too little." 

True love is not selfish, cold, and calculat- 
ing. " Charity seeketh not her own." '' Great- 
er love hath no man than this, that a man lay 
down his life for his friends." Here was the 
soul of martyrdom. The labors of love would 
be impossible, if they sprang from any other 
principle. Because they are the fruit of love, 
they are esteemed as nothing. 

Where the love of complacency exists, there 



LOVE TO GOD. 339 

will be a desire to be like the object beloved. 
No praise is so great as that which we render 
by imitating another. Therefore all who de- 
light in God do hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness, and are wholly pleased with God^s 
law, and are deeply pained when they find 
their hearts inclined to corruption. They nev- 
er will be satisfied till they awake in God's like- 
ness. To be like him is their highest aim. 

Those who love desire also to please God. 
This is very natural. Above all things, the 
righteous wish to please God. His will is their 
law. His favor is their life. His smile is their 

joy. 

Love to God is a powerful principle. It 
becomes the master-passion. It is ''strong as 
death." "Many waters cannot quench love, 
neither can the floods drown it : if a man would 
give all the substance of his house for love, it 
would utterly be contemned." Love roused 
and sustained Paul in all his toils and suiffer- 
ings. It made the confessors take joyfully the 
spoiling of their goods. It has made heroes of 
babes, and martyrs of the most timid. No 
principle of human action is more efficient. 

It is indeed not always of the same strength. 
Some love so little that they are constantly 



340 VITAL GODLINESS. 

kept in doubt about their state, and are uncer- 
tain whether they love at all. In some, love 
is but a spark with some smoke. In others it 
is a strong, steady flame. If genuine, it will 
finally gain the victory over all opposing influ- 
ences. It grows, so that in due time it sways 
every power of the mind, every inclination of 
the heart. 

Love to Grod promotes the happiness of all 
whose hearts it rules. Believers know what 
Paul means by ''the comfort of love." "He 
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God 
in him." Solomon says, "Better is a dinner 
of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox, and 
hatred therewith." This he speaks of love in 
a family. But how much more true is it of the 
love of God. It turns all bitter into sweet, con- 
verts all sorrow into joy. "All things work 
together for good to them that love God." Nor 
is our love to God a well-spring of life merely 
to the living: it wonderfully cheers and ani- 
mates the dying, and keeps the best of them in 
a delightful strait. It makes them triumph over 
death. It goes still further: "Herein," says 
John, "is our love made perfect, that we may 
have boldness in the day of judgment." Of 
all things promised by God, nothing has sur- 



LOVE TO GOD. 841 

prised me more than this. Oh wonderful, won- 
derful love, to give "boldness in the day of 
judgment." 

True love seeks union and communion. 
* ' How can we expect to live with God in heav- 
en, if we love not to live with him on earth ?" 
Aversion puts away its object, or withdraws 
from it; but love draws near its object, and 
rejoices to know and be known. Those who 
love God are looking for and hasting unto the 
coming of the day of God. They wait for him 
as the watchmen wait for the morning ; as the 
thirsty land waits for the rain. He is their 
life. His coming will be their coronation-day. 
After that they shall be for ever with the Lord. 
Christ is the loadstone that lifts up their hearts 
to God. To be with him and to behold his 
glory will be the grand reward. But even in 
this life, the soul, by means of faith in God's 
word and through the agency of the blessed 
Spirit, has sweet communion with God. In 
this it greatly joys. 

Paul offered a very benevolent prayer when 
lie asked that his brethren at Philippi might 
"abound in love more and more." Love is a 
chief fruit of the Spirit. It is greater than 
faith or hope. It shall last and increase for 



842 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ever. No wonder Jude, in the warmth of his 
affection for God's children, cried, ''Keep 
yourselves in the love of Grod." This is the 
great business of the Christian. He who does 
this acts well his part. He who keeps himself 
in the love of God needs to know no other 
secret of happiness. 

The qualities of the love which God re- 
quires are, 

1. That it be sincere, not feigned, not in 
pretence. Here is the point where sad defi- 
ciency is found in the love of many. It is not 
hearty. Its professions are mere pretences. 

2. Genuine love to God is supreme. It 
puts him before and above all others. It ad- 
mits of no rivals in the heart. It does not 
hesitate to prefer him to every other object. 
Others may be means of good to us, but God 
is the jportion of his people, the lot of their in- 
heritance. 

3. True love to God regards all his char- 
acter, laws, and judgments. It does not find 
fault with his justice. It does not cavil at 
the strictness of his law. It approves of the 
purity of his ordinances, of the simplicity of 
his worship, and of the sovereignty of his au- 
thority. 



LOVE TO GOD. 343 

4. There is in genuine love to God stabil- 
ity. It is not fitful. It loves always ; not in- 
deed with equal vigor, but yet with constancy. 
It is both an afi*ection and a principle. Like 
other affections, it is liable to ebb and flow; 
but as a principle, nothing can change it while 
God upholds it. 

We may know that we love God by our 
cheerful, earnest obedience to his will. '' Now 
are ye my disciples, if ye do whatsoever I 
command you." '' Love is the fulfilling of the 
law." 

We may also prove our love to God by 
our love to his people. "We know that we 
have passed from death unto life, because we 
love the brethren." 

We also evince our love to God by our 
possession of a childlike temper towards him. 
The Spirit of adoption always goes with love 
to God ; so that all believers may say, ' ' We 
have not received the spirit of bondage again 
to fear." 

This love to God is essential to Christian 
character. None can be admitted to the heav- 
enly mansions without it. We may be saved 
without science, without literature, without 
wealth, without genius, without renown, with- 



3M VITAL GODLINESS. 

out family, without health, without the favor 
of man. But there is no admission to heaven 
without love. "We must be baptized in the 
fire of love, or burned in the fire of hell." 
'' Though I speak with the tongues of men and 
of angels, and have not charity, I am become 
as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. And 
though I have the gift of prophecy, and under- 
stand all mysteries and all knowledge; and 
though I have all faith, so that I could remove 
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the 
poor, and though I give my body to be burned, 
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 
John Angell James says, "Let the love we bear 
to God pervade and influence every thought 
and word and action. We shall then abhor 
that which he abhors, and depart from evil. 
We shall subdue our own will, and find our 
best happiness in doing A^s." 

The importance of this love to Grod is seen 
at every step in the Christian life. Without 
it men are continually perplexed concerning 
their duty and their liberty. It is a remark oi 
John Newton, that "love is the clearest and 
most persuasive casuist ; and when our love to 
the Lord is in lively exercise, and the rule oi 



\ LOVE TO GOB. 345 

^ his word is in our eye, we seldom make great 
mistakes.'^ Cold reason can never safely settle 
questions which must chiefly be determined by 
\ the heart. Logic is a poor substitute for love, 
yi^ight affections are often a better guide than 
,11 the rules of reasoning. This is so with the 
l\ other, in her sleepless care of her babe. It 
lA so with the devoted husband, in his cease- 
leiW watch over his helpless wife. It is so whe.n 
filial piety sits down to watch the last flicker- 
ing^^ of life in a venerable parent. It is emi- 
nently so in the love of a child of 'Grod to his 
Father which is in heaven. 

He who finds his heart warmed with love 
to God need not trouble himself respecting his 
election. Leigh ton well says, ''He that loves 
may be sure that he was loved first; and he 
that chooses God for his delight and portion 
may conclude confidently that God hath chosen 
him to be one of those that shall enjoy him, and 
be happy with him for ever ; for that our love 
and electing of him is but the return and re- 
percussion of the beams of his love shining 
among us." "Love begets love.'' This is 
most true of God's love to us. All our love 
to him is engendered by his love to us. And 
so if we choose him, we may know that he has 

15* 



846 VITAL GODLINESS. 

chosen us, and ordained us, that we should bear 
much fruit to his glory. 

He who thus loves G-od will surely be pro- / 
vided for. His temporal wants shall not be^ 
forgotten before Grod. Ohrysostom says, 'T 
thou have a concern for the things which a^ 
God's, he will also be careful of thee and thintr 
''Seek ye first the kingdom of Grod, and % 
righteousness; and all these things shall %e 
added unto you." Matt. 6:33. Nor are'^he 
blessings of love confined to our bodily w^its. 
*'Grod is love; and he that dwelleth in /love 
dwelleth in Grod, and G-od in him." It may 
not be given to mortals to know all that is thus 
promised; but surely such language implies 
very much. To all who love him, God is a 
rest and a refuge, a strong tower and a hiding- 
place, a portion and an eternal all. 



LOVE TO CHEIST. 347 



CHAPTER XYI 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 



In addressing the strangers scattered 
abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappado- 
cia, Asia, and Bithynia, the apostle Peter ad- 
mits that they had never personally seen Jesus 
Christ. He himself had often seen the Lord. 
He had seen him walking by the sea of Gali- 
lee. He had seen him walking on it. He had 
been with him on the holy mount, in the judg- 
ment-hall, and on the top of Olivet, when he 
ascended to glory. He had been his compan- 
ion for years, had tasted of his mercy, had 
beheld his miracles, had been an eye-witness 
of his agony, of his betrayal, of his trial, of his 
resurrection, of his ascension, and of his glory 
and majesty. He had seen him in the depths 
of his humiliation. He had seen him in the 
first and second stages of his exaltation. Yet 
the apostle does not assert that those who had 
not been so highly favored as himself were 
destitute of right affections to the Redeemer, 
but says, ''Whom having not seen, ye love.'^ 



348 VITAL GODLINESS. 

1 Pet. 1 : 8. What a rich provision of mercy- 
is that which so far puts all God's people on a 
level as to permit the saint of these latter days 
to love the Lord Jesus as fervently and as ac- 
ceptably as if he had seen his blessed person 
and spoken with him face to face. 

Though love to Christ is not different from 
love to God, yet it is worthy of distinct con- 
sideration. It is much spoken of in Scripture. 
It enters very fully into the experience of all 
saints. It is one of the strongest of all affec- 
tions, and one of the most powerful principles. 
If the time shall ever come when such a theme 
shall be distasteful to professing Christians, 
then indeed the glory will have departed from 
the visible church. Yet the theme is always 
unpleasant to carnal men. Some satisfy them- 
selves with not caring for these things ; but oth- 
ers rail at the whole doctrine of love to the 
Son of God. The efforts of such are commonly 
directed to the denial of the reality of every 
thing vital in religion. Accordingly they make 
light of sin, they speak of human guilt as a 
trifle, they think a depraved nature a theolog- 
ical invention, they look upon heaven as a pic- 
ture and hell as a dream. They deny all Chris- 
tian graces, and in particular they regard all 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 349 

love to Christ as romance, confined to the weak 
and ignorant. 

But the word of God rebukes all such wick- 
edness. If God does not teach us the reality 
of love to Christ in all his people, he teaches 
us nothing. Else what shall we do with such 
scriptures as these? "Let him kiss me with 
the kisses of his mouth : for his. love is better 
than wine. Thy name is as ointment poured 
forth, therefore the virgins love thee. We 
will remember thy love more than wine : the 
upright love thee. Behold, thou art fair, my 
beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. 
A bundle of myrrh is my beloved unto me ; he 
shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. I sat 
down under his shadow with great delight, and 
his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought 
me to the banqueting-house, and his banner 
over me was love. Stay me with flagons, com- 
fort me with apples : for I am sick of love. 
His left hand is under my head, and his right 
hand doth embrace me. My beloved is mine, 
and I am his. I am my beloved's, and his 
desire is towards me. I found him whom my 
soul loveth ; I held him, and would not let him 
go, until I had brought him into my mother's 
house. Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a 



350 VITAL GODLINESS. 

seal on thine arm. I charge you, ye daugh- 
ters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that 
ye tell him I am sick of love. Come, my be- 
loved, let us go up early to the vineyards, let 
us see if the vines flourish. There will I give 
thee my loves. Make haste, my beloved, and 
be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart on the 
mountains of spices." 

Such is some of the language of one of the 
short books of the Bible, which abounds indeed 
in imagery borrowed from the East, but which 
also abounds in the richest stores of Christian 
experience. Other portions of Scripture fully 
accord with the proofs already quoted. Christ 
himself said, ''He that loveth me shall be loved 
of my Father, and I will love him, and mani- 
fest myself to him. If any man love me, he 
will keep my words, and my Father will love 
him, and we will come unto him, and make 
our abode with him. As the Father hath loved 
me, so have I loved you ; continue ye in my 
love." Other portions of God's word are of 
like import. It is then undeniable that God's 
word calls for love to Christ as an essential 
proof of Christian character. Downright infi- 
delit}^ teaches nothing more dangerous than 
that we can have pious affections, pleasing to 



LOVE TO OHEIST. 351 

God, without any love to tlie Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

And Grod^s people have the best ground of 
love to Christ. He is "the chiefest among ten 
.thousand, and altogether lovely." He is per- 
fect God and perfect man in two distinct na- 
tures and one person for ever. He is the 
author of eternal redemption, the Saviour of 
the world. To him we owe both our being 
and our well-being. His grace is rich, free, 
and unchangeable. His love to us has in it 
heights and depths, lengths and breadths, 
which can never be measured. It passeth 
knowledge. None ever loved us as Christ, 
who gave himself for us. Well do Solomon 
and Paul unite in calling him The Beloved. 
All the righteous do the same. We owe him 
all gratitude, all good-will, all complacency. 

The first essential quality of love to Christ 
is that it be unfeigned. In it there can be ad- 
mitted no double-mindedness. Paul closes one 
of his epistles with the solemn words, ''Grace 
be with all them that love our Lord Jesus 
Christ in sincerity. Amen." Eph. 6 : 24. In- 
sincerity spoils any profession : but a profes- 
sion of love, not founded in the depths of the 
heart, is exceedingly hateful to God and man. 



352 VITAL GODLINESS. 

When even the worst of men see deception and 
guile in matters of friendship, their abhorrence 
is awakened. Let every man see to it that his 
love is real and genuine. 

Love to Christ is a pure and holy affection. 
It is the reigning principle among the redeem- 
ed in glory. It is the bond of union among 
believers on earth. Love to Christ has for its 
object his glorious person. And yet it is not 
at all like the admiration and fondness we have 
for the comely appearance of men upon earth. 
There is nothing carnal or gross in the affec- 
tions of a creature towards the Lord of life and 
glory. When upon earth, his pious followers 
loved him, although ' ' his visage was so marred 
more than any man, and his form more than 
the sons of men." And it is so still. After 
his resurrection and before his ascension, he 
said to Mary, " Touch me not ; for I am not yet 
ascended to my Father ; but go to my brethren, 
and sa}^ unto them, I ascend unto my Father 
and your Father, and to my God and your 
Grod." John 20 : 17. Some think our Lord 
thus intended to remind Mary that it was not 
by touching his body, but by believing on him; 
not by handling him, but by spiritually laying 
hold on him, that he would have her approach 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 353 

him. Whether this passage bears such a con- 
struction or not, there is no doubt of the fact 
that thousands saw him, heard him, and touch- 
ed him with their bodily faculties, and were 
never a whit the better for it all. Paul says, 
''Though we have known Christ after the flesh, 
yet now henceforth know we him no more." 
2 Cor. 5:16. To his disciples no less than to 
his enemies Jesus said, "Ye shall seek me; 
and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye 
cannot come, so now I say to you." John 
13 : 33 ; compare John 8 : 21. '• He is a Jew, 
which is one inwardly; and circumcision is 
that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the 
letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God." 
Eom. 2 : 29. 

True love to Christ is always grieved at 
having its sincerity seriously questioned. 
''Jealousy is cruel as the grave; the coals 
thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most 
vehement flame." Song S : Q. "Peter was 
grieved because Jesus said unto him the third 
time, Lovest thou me?" John 21 : 17. That 
question is never earnestly brought home to 
the bosom of any genuine follower of the Sav- 
iour without awakening the deepest concern ; 
and until it can be satisfactorily answered, the 



354 VITAL GODLINESS. 

soul is in deep waters. This must ever be the 
case. It is not possible for any to love the 
Lord Jesus without seeing something of his 
infinite excellency, without at the same time 
wishing to love him more, or without seeing 
that want of love to him would be the eternal 
undoing of the soul. 

It should also be noted that there may be 
much imperfection even in genuine love to the 
Saviour. To deny this is to cut off the whole 
Christian world from a participation in the 
favor of Christ. If no man loves the Saviour, 
except he loves perfectly, then none but the 
redeemed above have any evidence that they 
are his. How sadly imperfect even genuine 
love may be, is seen in the case of David and 
Peter and many other Bible saints. At times 
their conduct was sadly opposed to the belief 
that they were good men. So now all the best 
men in this world are among the foremost to 
cry out, "In many things we all offend ;'^ "In- 
iquities prevail against us f ' ' We abhor our- 
selves, and repent in dust and ashes;" "Unto 
us belong shame and confusion of faces." 

Yet true love to Christ is not fitful. It is 
constant, not periodical. Like the fire of old 
kept burning on the altar, which at some times 



LOYE TO CHRIST. 355 

was much brighter than at others, yet at no 
time was entirely extinct, so the love of Christ 
never totally vanishes from the heart of a good 
man, although it is not always glowing. A 
gold dollar may be as genuine metal as a gold 
eagle. A live coal is as truly fire as the bow- 
els of a glowing furnace. The new-born in- 
fant is as truly a human being as .the full-grown 
man. Let us beware how we grieve whom 
Grod doth not grieve by denying them the 
rights and privileges of the sons of God. He 
who can give power to the faint, and increase 
might to him that hath no strength; he who 
can hold up the weak brother, and make the 
feeble among his people like David, will not 
forget his covenant nor quench the smoking 
flax. 

It is a good sign when we can humbly and 
reverently appeal to Omniscience for the sin- 
cerity of our love. Appearance! are some- 
times against men, very good men. When 
this is so, they are deeply abased; but they 
will not therefore let go their hold on the di- 
vine mercy, nor deny their allegiance to Christ. 
This was the case with Peter. He had denied 
his Lord, and brought great reproach on the 
cause of God, and had deeply bewailed his 



356 VITAL GODLINESS. 

wickedness; yet when thrice interrogated by 
Christ, his answers were, ''Yea, Lord: thou 
knowest that I love thee;" ''Yea, Lord: thou 
knowest that I love thee ;" "Lord, thou know- 
est all things ; thou knowest that I love thee." 
Every true child of Grod can sincerely pray, 
"Lord, if I am deceived, do thou undeceive 
me." To our Master in heaven we stand or 
fall; and when we can truly say, "Lord, to 
whom shall we go but unto thee ? thou hast the 
words of eternal life," we have a right to re- 
joice and be glad. 

G-enuine love to Christ does not regard any 
service it can render, or any sacrifice it can 
make, as too great for the honor of Christ. 
True love to the Saviour, so far from being a 
dormant principle, is wonderfully active, and 
delights in paying the largest tribute it can 
possibly render. It is not of the nature of su- 
preme lovelo begrudge any thing. Under the 
sway of such affection for Christ, Paul said of 
bonds and afflictions, "None of these things 
move me, neither count I my life dear unto 
myself, so that I might finish my course with 
joy, and the ministry which I have received of 
the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
grace of God." Acts 20 : 24. Again he says, 



LOVE TO CHRIST. 357 

'* What things were gain to me, those I counted 
lo(gs for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all 
things but loss for the excellency of the know- 
ledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I 
have suffered the loss of all things, and do 
count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
and be found in him, not having mine own 
righteousness, which is of the law, but that 
which is through the faith of Christ, the right- 
eousness which is of God by faith.'' Phil. 3 : 7-9. 
It was the same mighty principle of love to 
Christ that sustained the martyrs of all ages, 
made them rejoice in the spoilingof their goods, 
and in all tribulation, and finally caused them 
to triumph over death in its most horrible 
forms. 

True love to Christ is supreme. "If any 
man come to me, and hate not his father, and 
mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, 
and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he can- 
not be my disciple." Luke 14 : 26. That is, 
if a man does not put Christ above all these, 
and love them less than him, he is not a true 
Christian. Gregorv Nazianzen said, ''If I 
have any possessions, health, credit, learning, 
this is all the contentment I have of them, that 
I have somewhat I may despise for Christ, who 



358 VITAL GODLINESS. 

is the all- desirable and the every thing desira- 
ble." Augustine said, ''How sweet it is4o 
deny these sinful sweets." 

It is worthy of special notice that the exer- 
cise of love to Christ is not only pleasant, but 
is so in a high degree. The same may indeed 
be said of other pious affections, but this is so 
peculiarly true of love to the Saviour, that it 
deserves special consideration. The very first 
motions of this grace are so delightful, that 
even young converts regard a day of holy ex- 
ercises of mind as worth more than years of 
sinful pleasure. They greatly wonder that 
they never had a just estimate of these things 
before. To love Christ is the very height of 
wisdom. Every Christian has the demonstra- 
tion of this truth in his own blessed experi- 
ence. The natural language of the renewed 
soul is, Who would not love Jesus ? The wick- 
ed passions of our nature commonly bring with 
them great pain. Under their influence men 
grow pale, tremble in their whole frame, lose 
their appetite, become wakeful and restless, 
and often pine away. But the love of Christ 
produces none of these miseries. It opens 
fountains of joy before sealed up, and makes 
rivers to break forth in the wilderness. 



LOVE TO CHEIST. 359 

In love to Christ, nothing is more pleasing 
than to witness its increasing strength and mel- 
lowness. At first, in all its feebleness it may 
yet manifest some rather fiery qualities; but 
when it becomes strong it acquires much of the 
gentleness of Christ. Our first love is often 
like new wine. Our matured love is like wine 
on the lees well refined. The former may 
burst even new bottles; the latter would not 
injure old ones. This matter may be well illus- 
trated by the difference between a- loving young 
groom and bride and the same persons after 
the}^ have been partakers of each other's joys 
and sorrows for half a century. When young, 
there is a peculiar ardor and fondness not at 
all diminished by the novelty of the affection ; 
but in old age, the heart and life of each are 
bound up in the other. If one of those young- 
persons had died, the survivor would have 
been filled with grief, and perhaps have fallen 
into paroxysms; but in a few j^ears at most, 
all would have seemed to pass away. But let 
one of those loving old people die, and the sur- 
vivor, however strong and healthy at the time, 
will soon show signs of decay, and in a short 
time will sink into the grave. The young 
couple, with all their affection, were sometimes 



360 VITAL GODLINESS. 

a little irritable, perhaps jealous or moody; 
but the old ones had a confidence in each other, 
and a natural tenderness which nothing could 
disturb. So the young disciple, though he 
loves sincerely, has but little stability com- 
pared with what he will have, if he shall serve 
Grod till he has a large experience. 

There is also in true love to Christ a genu- 
ine modesty, which grows with all other right 
affections. This modesty leads even the babe 
in Christ to be dissatisfied with the amount of 
his devotion to the Saviour. More experience 
leads to yet more profound self-renunciation. 
Every fall into sin followed by recovery but 
deepens self-distrust. And although the child 
of Grod may not be ready to renounce his in- 
tegrity nor deny his love, yet he is very will- 
ing to speak of himself and his love to Christ 
in the most unpretending manner. 

It is also true, that he who loves Christ de- 
lights in commending and honoring him, and 
in seeing others do the same. It is impossible 
to love that which is not excellent or beautiful 
in our eyes. And so surely as any thing seems 
so to us, we wish others to unite with us in 
admiring it. Could therefore a converted man 
be found who was indifferent whether others 



LOYE TO CHKIST. 361 

were brought to love Christ or not, he would 
be such a monster in the spiritual world as has 
never yet made his appearance. 

True love to Christ is to his whole person, 
to his human and his divine natures. He who 
hates or rejects either his divinity or his hu- 
manity hates and rejects him. Chrysostom 
says, ''When thou hearest of Christ, do not 
think him God only or man only, but both to- 
gether. For I know Christ was hungry, and 
I know that with five loaves he fed five thou- 
sand men, besides women and children. I 
know Christ was thirsty, and I know Christ 
turned water into wine. I know Christ was 
carried in a ship, and I know Christ walked 
on the waters. I know Christ died, and I 
know Christ raised the dead. I know Christ 
was set before Pilate, and I know Christ sits 
with the Father. I know Christ was worshipped 
by the angels, and I know Christ was stoned 
by the Jews. And truly some of these I as- 
cribe to the human, others to the divine nature ; 
for by reason of this he is said to be both to- 
gether." 

Of course he who loves Christ loves his 
Sabbaths, his worship, his truth, his laws, his 
people, and all that brings him to mind. To 

Vitel QodllneM. 1 6 



362 VITAL GODLINESS. 

such the Sabbath is a delight, the holy of the 
Lord, and honorable. There is no uncharita- 
bleness in supposing that he who hates holy 
time hates a holy God ^nd a holy Saviour. 
And if any man loves not the worship of Christ 
on earth, surely he cannot love the temper of 
the redeemed above ; for nothing is more clear- 
ly revealed than that Christ receives the high- 
est adorations of heaven. The same man, 
when he finds the words of Christ, will keep 
them and rejoice in them. They are to his 
soul meat and drink. They are to him a foun- 
tain of life, a well-spring of salvation. Even 
Christ's laws, with all their binding force, are 
the rejoicing of his heart. And to him Grod's 
people are the excellent of the earth, in whom 
is all his delight. Whoso loves Grod's image 
anywhere, will love it in his people. He who 
loves not his brother, whom he has seen, can- 
not love his Saviour, whom he has not seen. 

One of the miseries of man is that he is 
apt to set his affection on unworthy objects. 
The more he loves such things, the more un- 
happy he is. But in loving Christ we know 
that the object is worthy of our supreme re- 
gard. Yes, he is worthy. Lady Huntington 
expressed common Christian experience when 



LOVE TO CHEIST. 363 

she said, "I am nothing; Christ is all: I dis- 
claim as well as disdain any righteousness but 
his. I not only rejoice that there is no wisdom 
for his people but that from above, but reject 
every pretension to any but what comes from 
himself. I want no holiness he does not give 
me ; I would not accept a heaven he did not 
prepare for me. I can wish for no liberty but 
what he likes for me, and I am satisfied with 
every misery that he does not redeem me 
from ; that in all things I may feel that with- 
out him I can do nothing.'^ Either Christ will 
be all our salvation, or he will leave us to per- 
ish. The righteous consent that it shall be so. 
Would you have fervent love, labor for 
lively faith. Ardent love is sure to accom- 
pany strong believing. An old writer says, 
''Believe, and you shall love; believe much, 
and you shall love much ; labor for strong and 
deep persuasions of the glorious things which 
are spoken of Christ, and this will command 
love . Certainly, did men believe his worth, they 
would accordingly love him ; for the reasona- 
ble mind cannot but love that which it firmly 
believes to be worthiest of affection. Oh, this 
mischievous unbelief is that which makes the 
heart cold and dead towards God. Seek then 



364 VITAL GODLINESS. 

to believe Christ's excellency in himself, and 
his love to us. and our interest in him, and this 
will kindle such a fire in the heart as will make 
it ascend in a sacrifice of love to him." 

Love to Christ is sure to be requited by 
the love of the Father, of the Son, and of the 
Spirit. Christ himself said, *'He that loveth 
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will 
love him and manifest myself to him." And 
the Spirit is as loving as the Father and 
the Son. And although that expression used 
by Paul, the love of the Spirit, is by many un- 
derstood to mean " the love of which the Holy 
Spirit is the author," yet even that shows his 
loving nature perhaps no less than if thereby 
we understood his direct love to his people. 

Love to Christ is a mighty principle. Let 
it control us, and we shall be able to meet all 
the storms of life with firmness, and do all the 
duties of life with alacrity. It will bear us 
up and on and through. John Newton says, 
"The love of Christ was the apostle's chief 
motive ; it constrained him ; bore him along 
like a torrent, in defiance of labor, hardship, 
and opposition." As for us, what are we with- 
out it but reeds shaken with the wind ? But 
with it we become heroes, pillars, martyrs, vie- 



LOVE TO CHEIST. 365 

tors, yea, more than conquerors. This is true 
at all times. On one occasion Dr. Doddridge 
interested himself in behalf of a condemned 
criminal, and at length obtained his pardon. 
On entering the cell of the condemned man, 
the pardoned man fell at his feet, and with 
streaming eyes exclaimed, ''Oh sir, every drop 
of my blood thanks you, for you havB had 
mercy on every drop of it. Wherever you 
go, I will be yours." How natural was all 
this. And how surely will one who feels that 
his soul is saved from wrath by the blood of 
the Lamb, be ready to give all, all to him. It 
is this love to Christ that makes God's people 
so dissatisfied with all their present attain- 
ments, and so long to depart and be with 
Christ. That eminent servant of God, Samuel 
Davies, on recovering from a dangerous ill- 
ness, wrote to a friend, "Formerly I have 
wished to live longer, that I might be better 
prepared for heaven; but this consideration 
had but very little weight with me, and that 
for a very unusual reason, which was this: 
after a long trial, I found this world is a place 
so unfriendly to the growth of every thing 
divine and heavenly, that I was afraid if I 
should live longer, I should be no better fitted 



366 VITAL GODLINESS. 

for heaven than I am. Indeed, I have hardly 
any hopes of ever making any great attain- 
ments in holiness while I live, though I should 
be doomed to stay in it as long as Methuselah. 
I see other Christians around me making prog- 
ress; but when I consider I set out about 
twelve years old, and what sanguine hopes I 
then had of my future progress, and yet that I 
have been almost at a stand ever since, I am 
quite discouraged. Oh my good and gracious 
Master, if I may dare to call thee so, I am 
afraid I shall never serve thee much better on 
this side the region of perfection. The thought 
grieves me; it breaks my heart; but I can 
hardly hope better. But if I have the least 
spark of true piety in my breast, I shall not 
always labor under this complaint. No, my 
Lord, I shall yet serve thee, serve thee through 
an immortal duration, with the activity, the 
fervor, the perfection of the seraph that adores 
and burns. I very much doubt this despond- 
ing view of matters is wrong, and I do not 
mention it with approbation, but only relate it 
as an unusual reason for my willingness to die, 
which I never felt before, and which I could 
not suppress." The only thing very remarka- 
ble in this extract is that its learned and ex- 



LOVE TO CHEIST. 367 

perienced author should haye supposed that 
some strange thing had happened to him. All 
God's people long for perfect deliverance from 
sin ; nor does their experience lead them to 
expect it here. They would be made perfect 
in love to Christ. 

Child of sorrow, come and welcome to Jesus 
Christ. He will give you rest. His peace shall 
rule your heart. Blunt says, ''Are you trav- 
ailing with sorrow? Are you heavy-laden 
with the burden of oppression or woe ? Christ 
will give you rest. Doubtless the heavy-laden 
with the burden of sin are first invited, but 
they exclude no other sufferers. There is no 
exception of age or rank or clime, the extent 
of the travail, or the weight of the burden ; the 
childish sorrows of the weeping school-boy are 
as much the subject of the Saviour's sympathy 
as the matured wretchedness of the aged man ; 
all come within the Saviour's invitation." Oh 
that all would receive him. How soon should 
the waters of bitterness be changed into foun- 
tains of joy, and the mournful dirge be given 
up for the song of triumph. 

"We can now see something of the force of 
that solemn declaration of Paul, "If any man 
love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be 



368 VITAL GODLINESS. 

*» 

anathema, Maran-atha.'^ The world hurls its 
anathemas after those who despise its follies 
and denounce its vices. The Council of Trent 
cry anathema on the man ' ' whoever shall affirm 
that a true and proper sacrifice is not offered 
to God in the mass," or ''whoever shall affirm 
that matrimony is not truly and properly a sac- 
rament.'^ But Paul says, "If any man love not 
the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, 
Maran-atha j" that is, let him be accursed when 
the Lord cometh. 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOB. 369 

CHAPTER XVII. 

LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOE. 

We need line upon line and precept upon 
precept. Althougli one clear and undeniable 
revelation of God's wilf binds the conscience 
and moulds the character of a child of God, 
yet it is with peculiar pleasure that the pious 
mind finds a duty inculcated in various forms, 
at different times, and by different men. This 
remark applies to the whole matter of love to 
our neighbor. In Leviticus 19:18, Jehovah 
says, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any 
grudge against the children of thy people ; but 
thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am 
the Lord." And in the thirty-fourth verse of 
the same chapter he says, "The stranger that 
dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one 
born among you, and thou shalt love him as 
thyself ; for ye were strangers in the land of 
Egypt: I am the Lord your God." The evan- 
gelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, inform us 
that Jesus Christ repeatedly called attention 
to the command, "Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
bor as thyself," and pronounced it the great 

16* 



370 VITAL GODLINESS. 

pillar of morals. See Matt. 19 : 19 ; 22 : 39 ; 
Mark 12:31-34; Luke 10:27-37. In his 
epistles to the Eomans and to the Galatians, 
Paul also quotes with high commendation the 
same law. Rom. 13 : 9, and Gal. 5 : 14. The 
apostle James does the same. Jas. 2:8. So 
that there is no room left for any doubt as to 
the importance and obligation of the duty en- 
joined. That great prophet Moses, Jesus the 
Son of God, Paul the great apostle to the Gen- 
tiles, and James the son of Alpheus, the brother 
of Jude and the near relative of our Lord, all 
in the name of Jehovah give us this command- 
It is distinctly repeated nine times in God's 
word. 

Such a command is far from being unneces- 
sary. A man who had lived much in society, 
said that his acquaintance would fill a cathe- 
dral, but a pulpit would hold all his friends. 
We are naturally slow to open our hearts in a 
comprehensive good-wilL We are all by na- 
ture prone to narrow-mindedness. Carnal men 
are never in a mood to be pleased with a wide- 
ly diffusive benevolence. They may admire 
its fruits as exercised by others, but its prac- 
tice is irksome to the unrenewed mind. We 
love like snails to crawl into our little shells 



LOVE TO OUK NEIGHBOB. 371 

and there abide. The plan of God is to call 
us out and make us banish these contracted 
views. All the noble sentiments of the human 
heart are, like the widow's oil, increased by 
pouring out. God is as kind as he is holy in 
so ordaining that no man shall be strongly self- 
ish and truly happy. If God gives you bread 
enough and to spare, and then brings to your 
knowledge the case of the poor and needy, he 
does you a great kindness ; and you will be a 
better and happier man for having your soul 
drawn out to the hungry. 

The Bible says, " Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
bor as thyself." And here we are met with the 
old question, "Who is my neighbor?" When 
a carping lawyer, who wished to justify him- 
self, asked this question, Jesus Christ answered 
him thus: "A certain man went down from 
Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, 
which stripped him of his raiment, and wound- 
ed him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 
And by chance there came down a certain 
priest that way; and when he saw him he 
passed by on the other side. And likewise a 
Levite, when he was at the place, came and 
looked on him, and passed by on the other 
side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journey- 



372 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ed, came where he was : and when he saw him, 
he had compassion on him, and went to him, 
and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and 
wine, and set him on his own beast, and 
brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 
And on the morrow when he departed, he took 
out two pence, and gave them to the host, and 
said unto him. Take care of him j and whatso- 
ever thou spendest more, when I come again I 
will repay thee. Which now of these three, 
thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell 
among thieves ? And he said, He that showed 
mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, 
Gro and do thou likewise." Without dwelling 
on the striking incidents here brought out in 
detail, the great truth clearly taught is that 
any man is our neighbor to whom we can show 
a kindness. Although D. Kimchi, in remark- 
ing on Psalm 15 : 3, says, ''A neighbor is every 
one with whom we have any dealing or con- 
versation f yet in the days of our Saviour the 
Jews regarded themselves as bound to love 
none except their own people. Their rule was, 
''Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine 
enemy." Between Jews and Samaritans there 
was no intercourse that could possibly be 
avoided. Yet Christ teaches that they are 



LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR. 373 

neighbors in the eye of God's law. No man 
who admits that God gave the command to 
love our neighbor, will deny that it obliges us 
to love our friends, our kindred, and our coun- 
trymen. Even the scribes and Pharisees al- 
ways admitted thus much. Yet this is a very 
low standard of virtue. Christ said, "If ye 
love them which love you, what reward have 
ye ? do not even the publicans the same ? And 
if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye 
more than others? do not even the publicans 
so V^ While he whose love goes not beyond 
his own little sphere, has but little deserving 
of the name of right affections ; he who goes 
not thus far, is a monster of wickedness, and 
without natural affection. 

It is also evident from Scripture that even 
our enemies are to receive the tokens of our 
good-will. Jesus Christ said, ''Love your en- 
emies ; bless them that curse you ; do good to 
them that hate you ; and pray for them which 
despitefully use you and persecute you ; that 
ye may be the children of your Father which 
is in heaven." Matt. 5 : 44, 45. Again, "Love 
ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hop- 
ing for nothing again ; and your reward shall 
be great, and ye shall be the children of the 



374 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Highest." Luke 6 : 35. Paul and Solomon 
teach the same doctrine : " If thine enemy hun- 
ger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink : for 
in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome 
evil with good." Eom. 12:20, 21; Prov. 
25 : 21, 22. With these agree all the inspired 
writers. Now all consent that we should love 
our friends, and the Scriptures teach that we 
should love our enemies j and these two classes 
comprehend the whole human race ^with whom 
we have intercourse or dealings. Besides the 
foregoing explanations, it may be stated that 
the love of gratitude is confessedly binding on 
all the human race. There is no man so de- 
praved as not to see gross iniquity in a flagrant 
act of injustice. It is a truth no less commonly 
confessed, that if men have great moral excel- 
lence, they ought to be loved on that account. 
But when we enforce the obligations of a pure 
and high benevolence to all the race, there is 
apt to be a withholding of the hearty consent 
of the mind. Yet from Scripture nothing is 
clearer than that such good-will is due to all 
as we have knowledge of them and opportunity 
to do them good. 

This leads us to consider what are the 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOR. 375 

proper proofs and uniform fruits of such love 
to our neighbor as is enjoined in Scripture. In 
the nineteenth chapter of Leviticus there are 
many things specified as duties to our fellow- 
men, all of which are so fitly joined with love 
to our neighbor, that they may be properly 
mentioned here. One was this: "When ye 
reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not 
wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither 
shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest." 
Yerse 9. Another was like unto it: "Thou 
shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou 
gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt 
leave them for the poor and stranger." Yerse 
10. Another was in these words: "Ye shall 
not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one 
to another." Yerse 11. Again, "Thou shalt 
not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him : the 
wages of him that is hired shall not abide with 
thee all night till the morning." Yerse 13. 
One still more striking was, "Thou shalt not 
curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block be- 
fore the blind." Yerse 14. In other words, 
you shall take no advantage of the afflictions 
and powerlessness of men. Another precept 
was, "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judg- 
ment ; thou shalt not respect the person of the 



376 VITAL GODLINESS. 

poor, nor honor the person of the mighty : but 
in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neigh- 
bor." Verse 15. Another rule of great im- 
portance was, "Thou shalt not go up and down 
as a talebearer among thy people." Verse 16. 
Nothing could be more inconsistent with love 
to our neighbor than such a practice. An- 
other precept forbade any man to give false 
testimony, or to refuse to give true testimony. 
Verse 16. Another was in these words : 
''Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart : 
thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, 
and not suffer sin upon him." Verse 18. Then 
immediately comes the command, ''Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself" From all this 
it is evident that love to our neighbor is the 
same in its fruits as the fulfilment of the sec- 
ond table of the law. And we have the au- 
thority of Christ for saying that on love to 
God and to our neighbor hang the law and the 
prophets. Matt. 22 : 40. Paul teaches the 
same when he says, "He that loveth another 
hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not 
commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt 
not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
Thou shalt not covet ; and if there be any 
other commandment, it is briefly comprehend- 



LOVE TO OUB NEIGHBOE. 377 

ed in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor : 
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." 
Rom. 13 : 8-10. 

The fruits of love to our neighbor are, first, 
benevolent wishes concerning him and his af- 
fairs. Hearty good wishes are far from being 
vain either in the sight of God or of good men. 
Oftentimes good wishes are the best, the only 
proof we can give of our good-will. Only let 
us see to it that they be sincere. 

Again, we can express kind thoughts and 
charitable judgments ot men and their con- 
duct, and so prove that we love them. Tow- 
ards ourselves we are at liberty to practise 
severity of judgment; but to others there must 
be lenity. '' Judge not, that ye be not judged. 
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be 
judged; and with what measure ye mete, it 
shall be measured to you again." Matt. 7:1, 2. 
Some express contempt for kind words; but 
they really mean such as are hypocritical, or 
they know not what they say. Words of gen- 
uine kindness are of the highest value. With- 
out them society is a source of constant misery. 
When our love kads us to the throne of 
grace, and we are drawn out in fervent prayer 



378 VITAL GODLINESS. 

for men, then the fruit of love is very pleasing. 
' ' Bless them that curse you, and pray for them 
that despitefully use you and persecute you." 
So says Paul, '' I exhort therefore, that, first of 
all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and 
giving of thanks, be made for all men : for 
kings, and for all that are in authority; that 
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all 
godliness and honesty." 1 Tim. 2:1, 2. What 
mode of expressing good-will could be more 
appropriate than that commended in Psalm 
20:1-5: ''The Lord hear thee in the day of 
trouble ; the name of the God of Jacob defend 
thee; send thee help from the sanctuary, and 
strengthen thee out of Zion ; remember all 
thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice ; 
grant thee according to thine own heart, and 
fulfil all thy counsel. . . The Lord fulfil all 
thy petitions." Let us often search and try our 
ways, and see if by our prayers we prove that 
we love our fellow-men. 

True love to men will of course lead us to 
forgive those who have injured us. This is a 
point on which our blessed Saviour laid the 
greatest stress. There is no dispensing with 
it. "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive your tres- 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOB. 379 

passes/' Matt. 6:15. ''Forgive, and ye shall 
be forgiven." Luke 6:37. Perhaps there is 
no better evidence of a renewed heart than a 
cordial forgiveness of injuries, nor a surer sign 
that we are yet in our sins, than carrying old 
grudges about with us. He that will not for- 
give, must soon have his heart j&lled with ha- 
tred ; and he that hateth his brother is a mur- 
derer; and ye know that no murderer hath 
eternal life abiding in him. Of all the holy 
arts possessed by Christians, none is more ad- 
mirable than that whereby they turn injuries 
to their own profit and to the divine glory. 
Mather says, "The injuries of life, if rightly 
improved, will be to us as the strokes of the 
statuary on his marble, forming us to a more 
beautiful shape, and making us fitter to adorn 
the heavenly temple." Genuine love to man 
will not only seem to forgive, but it will do 
that very thing. ''It is the glory of a man 
to pass over a transgression." Prov. 19:11. 
Merely to pretend to such a thing, and not to 
do it, is but miserably to mimic goodness, while 
we are filled with all uncleanness. There are 
upon earth no worse and no more unhappy 
men than those who carry about old grudges, 
and retain a lively memory of wrongs long 



380 VITAL GODLINESS. 

since committed against themselves. The Per- 
sians have a pleasing proverb : " The man who 
returns good for evil is as a tree which renders 
its shade and its fruit to those who cast stones 
at if South says, ''Love. is never so blind 
as when it is to spy faults. It is like the paint- 
er who, being to draw the picture of a friend 
having a blemish in one eye, would picture 
only the other side of his face." 

"Love ye your enemies." "This is the 
most sublime precept ever delivered to man. 
A false religion durst not give a precept of this 
nature, because, without supernatural influ- 
ence, it must be for ever impracticable." 

Another good fruit of love to man is mer- 
cifulness. "The righteous is ever merciful." 
Psa. 37:26. "Blessed are the merciful; for 
they shall obtain mercy." Matt. 5:7. "Be 
ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful." 
Luke 6 : 36. An habitual unrestrained incli- 
nation to harshness, cruelty, and oppression is 
one of the worst signs in the character of any 
man. On the other hand, an enlarged prevail- 
ing disposition to pity men's sorrows, alleviate 
their miseries, and promote their happiness is 
one of the best signs in the character of any 
man. There is in some men a fitful and vari- 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOE. 381 

able tenderness to others, which seems to be a 
mere instinct. It sometimes burns with great 
heat, and soon subsides into indifference or 
aversion ; but genuine love forms habits of 
kindness in the heart, and brings them forth 
in the life. The dispositions we display to the 
helpless, the guilty, the forsaken, are often the 
best tests of our real character. Nor is there 
any surer prelude of wrath than cruel disposi- 
tions. ' ' He shall have judgment without mercy 
that hath showed no mercy. ^' James 2:13. 
Tyrants, in any sphere of life, are hateful not 
only to all virtuous men, but also to God him- 
self. 

Love to man will always produce kindness 
to the poor and needy, the friendless and af- 
flicted. " Blessed is he that considereth the 
poor : the Lord will deliver him in time of 
trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and 
keep him alive : and he shall be blessed upon 
the earth : and thou wilt not deliver him unto 
the will of his enemies. The Lord will strength- 
en him on the bed of languishing. Thou wilt 
make all his bed in his sickness. " Psa. 41 : 1-3. 
''Pure religion and undefiled before God and 
the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and 
widows in their affliction, and to keep himself 



382 VITAL GODLINESS. 

unspotted from the world." James 1 : 27. "Re- 
member the words of the Lord Jesus, how he 
said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." 
Acts 20 : 35. These portions of Scripture form 
a basis broad enough for any sober scheme of 
genuine charity that has ever been devised. 
The word of G-od uniformly lays the greatest 
stress upon kindness to the poor and afflicted, 
as evidence of a heartfelt charity. "Whoso 
hath this world's good, and seeth his brother 
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of com- 
passion from him, how dwelleth the love of God 
in him?" 1 John 3:17. So that the Scrip- 
tures deny the genuineness of all love which 
is without good fruits. ISTor is any act of our 
lives more sure of reward than kindness to 
the needy. ''He that hath pity on the poor 
lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he 
hath given will he pay him again." Pro v. 
19:17. 

But love is never at a loss for some way to 
evince itself. If it can do no more, it will 
cheer with a smile, it will rejoice or weep with 
those it loves, it will soften a pillow or smooth 
a bed, it will watch with those to whom nights 
of vanity are appointed, it will whisper encour- 
agement to the faint, it will in some way make 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOE. 383 

itself felt for good. A preacher once said, " If 
you know any thing that will make a brother-'s 
heart glad, run quick and tell it; but if it is 
something that will only cause a sigh, bottle it 
up, bottle it up." 

God's word requires that thou shouldest 
''love thy neighbor as thy self J^ The measure 
of love due to our neighbor is a matter of chief 
importance. Very few persons in a Christian 
country will deny that it is our duty to bear 
some good- will to those around us. But many 
deny the extent of the obligation. Some re- 
spectable writers have expressed great diffi- 
culties on the subject. But surely it is no pre- 
sumption to prefer the plain teachings of God's 
word above those of any mortal. Here is a 
command repeated in Hebrew and Greek by 
Moses, Christ, Paul, and James, in all nine 
times, without any variation, and in very plain 
terms. Nor is it pretended that there is any 
philological difficulty in the case. The transla- 
tion is correct. There is no room for doubt in 
this respect. What right therefore has any 
man to say that the command so often repeat- 
ed means no more than that we should love 
our neighbor generally and indefinitely as our- 
selves? To clear the matter, the following re- 



384: VITAL GODLINESS. 

marks are offered, with confidence in their en- 
tire justice : 

1. It is evidently the design of the inspired 
writers to fix the degree in which we are bound 
to love our neighbor. They distinctly require 
us to love Grod supremely, above all others, 
admitting no rivals, no comparisons. They as 
distinctly say that we should love our neigh- 
bor as ourselves. There is no reason why in- 
spired men should so often have added the 
words ''as thyself,'^ unless they thus designed 
to determine how far we should love others. 

2. In alluding to our love of self, the in- 
spired writers did not refer to such love of 
ourselves as is inordinate, and therefore prop- 
erly selfish and sinful. All inordinate affec- 
tion, whether towards ourselves or others, is 
contrary to God's word and will; and its ex- 
cesses in one case cannot justify its excesses in 
another. Besides, it is simply impossible, in 
the nature of things, that the human mind 
should love God supremely, and at the same 
time go out inordinately both towards one's 
self and one's neighbor. 

3. There is a difference between selfish- 
ness and self-love. The former is the excess 
and outlawry of the latter. The former is 



LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR. 385 

wicked, and consists in a persistent looking on 
our own things and a constant caring for our- 
selves, let others do as they may. The latter 
is an enlightened and lawful regard to our own 
welfare, and is the standard and measure ap- 
proved of God for regulating our affections tow- 
ards others. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thy self J^ 

4. It is not denied that in a sense we may 
care and act more for the immediate good of 
ourselves and families than of others more re- 
motely connected with us. We are urged by 
the instinct of self-preservation to protect from 
harm our own bodies more than those of oth- 
ers. But the commandment relates not to in- 
stincts, but to moral affections. So also by 
natural affection the mother is led to forget the 
rest of the world for a season, that she may 
watch her own languishing babe. But the law 
we are now considering does not relate to nat- 
ural affection, which is more or less discovera- 
ble even in brute animals. It is a moral law, 
given to moral agents. And so there is no 
violation of its spirit in a man's providing for 
his own, and especially for those of his own 
household. Xot to do so would prove him 
** worse than an infidel." 

vital Godliness. 17 



386 VITAL GODLINESS. 

5. There is nothing in this law which re- 
quires us to do a natural impossibility. Thus 
it is commonly in our power to do much more 
for ourselves and families than for others. 
Most persons are commonly not within our 
reach. They are out of our sight and beyond 
the compass of our voice. But we can reprove, 
exhort, warn, and encourage ourselves when 
w^e will. We can often do the same to those 
near us. But this does not prove that we may 
love ourselves and families more than all oth- 
ers. The mother may not lawfully love the 
child at her side more than she may love his 
little brother captured by savages and carried 
into the wilderness. Yet a man would not be 
esteemed sane who should assert that this same 
mother was bound to do as many acts of daily 
kindness for one child as for the other. It 
would be literally impossible. 

6. The law of love to our neighbor has an 
excellent practical exposition in what has long 
been called the golden rule, which is in these 
words: ''All things whatsoever ye would that 
men should do to you, do ye even so to them : 
for this is the law and the prophets." None 
can deny that this law binds us to all the acts 
of love to our neighbor which we mav lawfully 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOE. 387 

desire him to perform towards ourselves. If 
therefore we are bound to yield the fruits of 
love to others as we seek them from others, 
why should we not love our neighbor as we do 
ourselves ? Where is any flaw in this reason- 
ing ? This golden rule affords an excellent test 
by which to judge both of our selfish and of our 
benevolent feelings. When we wish others to 
do something for us, let us ask first whether, 
in an exchange of circumstances, we should be 
ready to do the same for them. 

7. The Scriptures do commend a very high 
degree of love to men. They say that "per- 
adventure for a good man some would even 
dare to die." Eom. 6 : 8. This is evidently 
spoken not in censure, but in praise of the self- 
sacrificing man. John is yet more explicit, and 
says that in certain cases "we ought to lay 
down our lives for the brethren.'^ 1 John 
3 :16. Paul furnishes us with an example of 
what John here teaches when he says to the 
Philippians, " If I be offered upon the sacrifice 
and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with 
you all." Phil. 2 : 17. Now Paul did not love 
others more than the law requires ; yet he was 
willing to suffer martyrdom, if thereby he could 
be most useful to his fellow-men. Surely this 



388 VITAL GODLINESS. 

is loving oiir'neiglibor as ourselves. The thing 
is therefore not impracticable. Greater love 
than this is not required. 

8. We do most effectually promote our own 
happiness when we cultivate the most benevo- 
lent affections towards our neighbor. ISTor is 
there any limit to this remark. Who that 
ever hoarded up wealth was as happy as John 
Howard? What lazy, selfish minister ever 
enjoyed life like Paul, who rejoiced even in 
tribulation? Home says, 

' ' The truly generous is truly mse ; 
And lie who loves not others lives unblest." 

I have never known an unhappy philanthro- 
pist. I have never had a doleful letter from a 
foreign missionary. It is on the selfish that 
ennui and satiety and discontent and anguish 
prey. Wilcox says, 

" "Wouldst thou from sorrow find a sweet relief ? 
Or is thy heart oppressed with woes untold ? 
Balm wouldst thou gather for corroding grief ? 
Pour blessings round thee like a shower of gold." 

Thus it is clear that we ought to love our 
neighbor as much as we love ourselves; we 
ought to be as ready to give as to receive jus- 
tice, kindness, truth, pity, and bounty ; in our 
dealings with others, we should be as careful 
to fulfil to all men the duties required, and to 



LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOR. 389 

avoid the sins forbidden in the second table of 
the law, as we are free to regard them bound 
to do and to avoid the same. In some things, 
we may even give others the advantage. "In 
honor preferring one another f and, "Let each 
esteem other better than themselves,'' are forms 
of speech which show that where there seems 
to be a conflict between our love to ourselves 
and our love to our neighbor, there are cases 
where he is to have the benefit of the doubt, 
and to take the precedence. This love will 
make us put a proper estimate upon the worth 
of our neighbor, construe all his conduct in as 
charitable a manner as truth will permit, prof- 
fer assistance whenever it is required and we 
can afford it, be careful to say nothing con- 
trary to "the royal law," take pleasure in the 
welfare of others, and especially with diligence 
seek their spiritual and eternal good. The high- 
est charity is that which aims at men^s salva- 
tion. " He that winneth souls is wise." 

It remains that a few words be said in 
presenting motives for the performance of this 
duty. The motive twice presented in the nine- 
teenth chapter of Leviticus, is the awful author- 
ity of God : " I am the Lord ;" "I am the Lord 
your God." A due consideration of God's 



390 VITAL GODLINESS. 

authority, and a due regard to it, are sufficient 
to command the assent and the consent of all 
who have the love of God in them. But this 
saying, I am the Lord, may mean more than 
this. It may call us to a large benevolence, 
corresponding in our measure to the love man- 
ifested by Grod himself. Thus Paul says, '' Be 
ye followers," imitators, "of God, as dear chil- 
dren ; walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, 
and hath given himself for us." Eph. 5:1, 2. 
God ''maketh his sun to shine on the evil and 
on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and 
on the unjust." Matt. 5 : 45. Even where 
whole nations have forsaken God, practised 
idolatry, and walked in their own ways, "he 
left not himself without witness, in that he did 
good, and gave them rain from heaven, filling 
their hearts with food and gladness." The 
Lord's mercies are "new every morning." 
Lam. 3:23. "Herein is love, not that we 
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his 
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Be- 
loved, if God so loved us, we ought also to 
love one another." 1 John 4 : 10, 11. 

The example of our blessed Saviour is often 
presented as a powerful motive to this very 
duty. He went about doing good. We should 



LOVE TO OUE NEIGHBOE. 391 

walk as lie walked. He has set iis an exam- 
ple, that we should follow his steps. Ye know 
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though 
he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, 
that we through his poverty might be made 
rich. 

In this way we can also best commend our 
religion to others, and put to silence the igno- 
rance of foolish men, and win' those who are of 
a contrary part. 

Nothing more fatally hinders our prayers 
than the want of love to men. All correct 
moral feelings are shocked at prayer mingled 
with malice. Who ever heard of a happy or 
thriving church where the spirit of love was 
not? Leighton says, "To pray together, hearts 
must be consorted and tuned together ; other- 
wise, how can they sound the same suits har- 
moniously ? How unpleasant in the exquisite 
ear of Grod, who made the ear, are the jarring, 
disunited hearts that often seem to join in the 
same prayer, and yet are not set together in 
love ! And when thou prayest alone, while 
thy heart is imbittered and disaffected to thy 
brother, although upon an offence done to thee, 
it is as a mistuned instrument ; the strings are 
not accorded, are not in tune among themselves, 



392 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and so tlie sound is harsh and offensive. Try 
it well thyself, and thou wilt perceive it ; how 
much more He to whom thou prayest ! When 
thou art stirred and in passion against thy 
brother, or not lovingly affected towards him, 
what broken, disordered, unfastened stuff are 
thy requests ! Therefore the Lord will have this 
done first — thy heart tuned. ''Gro thy way,'^ 
says he; "leave thy gift, and be reconciled to 
thy brother; then come and offer thy gift." 
Every enlightened conscience must approve 
this method. No other consists with sincerity 
or holiness. 

One of the great excellences of love to our 
neighbor is, that it is an immortal principle. 
" Charity never faileth." "It will survive the 
wreck of worlds," says Dr. John James, "out- 
time time itself, and be for ever the work of 
the servants of God." 



LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 393 

CHAPTER XYIII. 

LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 

Just before he laid down Ms life, our Lord 
Jesus Christ said to his disciples, "A new com- 
mandment I give unto you, That ye love one 
another; even as I have loved you, that ye 
also love one another." John 13 : 34. In ex- 
plaining this passage, critics have found diffi- 
culty from the use of the word new. They say 
that love to God's people as such is no new 
thing under the gospel. This is certainly true. 
Saints have always esteemed each other the 
excellent of the earth, in whom was all their 
delight. Psa. 16:3. David says, " I am a 
companion of all them that fear thee, and of 
them that keep thy precepts f and "" mine eyes 
shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they 
may dwell with me.'' Psa. 119 : 63; 101 : 6. 
Solomon says, ''He that walketh with wise 
men shall be wise : but the companion of fools 
shall be destroyed." Psa. 13 : 20. So in the 
days of Malachi, "they that feared the Lord 
spake often one to another." Mai. 3:16. It 
is impossible for two children of God to know 

17* 



394 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and not to love each other. This was as true 
three thousand years ago as it is now. Many- 
regard the friendship between David and Jon- 
athan as based in this love. If this be correct, 
we have a very strong case of brotherly love 
furnished under the old dispensation. The 
word new is not then to be taken in the sense 
of novel or unheard of. Christ does not in- 
tend to say, " I give you an additional com- 
mandment." Some have thought that the dif- 
ficulty might be removed by supposing that 
the word new here signifies superior, better, or 
excellent. Now although the word might have 
this sense, and in some cases has it, yet this 
command is not better than that which binds 
us to love God with all the heart, and our neigh- 
bor as ourselves ; and so this sense cannot be 
here admitted. 

Sometimes the word new seems to mean 
strange, and so some would read it, ''I give 
you a strange commandment," meaning there- 
by a precept that will seem strange to the 
masses of men, being so unusual in human his- 
tory. But this is hardly the sense of the word 
here. We are not driven by any necessity to 
such a construction. The meaning is not that 
the duty of love to man or to good men is now 



LOVE TO THE BEETHKEN. 395 

first taught, but that we are called to love good 
men as Chrisfs discvples, and because they are 
such, and that in a previously unknown degree 
and for an unusual motive, namely, Christ's 
love to all his people. We are to love Chris- 
tians as Christians. We are to love them after 
the pattern of Christ's love to us. And we are 
to love them because he thus loved us. In 
these senses and in no others is this command- 
ment new or novel. In these senses it was new 
until Christ came. 

Fifty-seven years after Christ uttered these 
-words, John wrote respecting this command- 
ment of love to Christian brethren, "Not as 
though I wrote a new commandment unto you, 
but that which we had from the beginning, 
that we love one another." Dr. John Brown 
of Edinburgh thus paraphrases these words: 
''Though the commandment to love one an- 
other cannot now be called a new one, as if 
just issued forth — for from the beginning of the 
gospel it was announced as the distinctive com- 
mand of our one Lawgiver — yet it may well be 
called new so far as he is concerned, for no 
one gave it till he did it ; and so far as you are 
concerned, for it was a law to which you were 
strangers till you assumed his easy yoke and 



396 VITAL GODLINESS. 

light burden." Jesus Christ differed from all 
the philosophers and teachers among the an- 
cients, because he inculcated love among his 
disciples, and so in the sense explained he 
gave them a new commandment concerning 
love to their brethren. 

It is worthy of notice that other portions 
of Scripture urge the same duty. Thus Christ 
says, '' This is my commandment, That ye love 
one another, as I have loved you." Johnl5 :12. 
Paul says, ''Be kindly afifectioned one to an- 
other with brotherly love." Romans 12 : 10. 
Again, ' ' The Lord make you to increase and 
abound in love one toward another." 1 Thess. 
3:12. Again, '' We are bound to thank God 
always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because 
that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the 
charity of every one of you all toward each 
other aboundeth." 2 Thess. 1 : 3. Peter says, 
''Be ye all of one mind, having compassion 
one of another ; love as brethren, be pitiful, be 
courteous." Again, "Above all things have 
fervent charity among yourselves." 1 Peter 
3 : 8, and 4 : 8. John says, "This is the mes- 
sage that ye heard from the beginning, that we 
should love one another." 1 John 3 : 11. The 
same is taught in many other places. 



LOVE TO THE BKETHBEN. 397 

The first essential quality of this love is that 
it should be real, not feigned. Thus John says, 
"My little children, let us not love in word, 
neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth." 
1 John 3 : 18. So also Peter speaks of ** un- 
feigned love of the brethren." 1 Pet. 1 : 22. 
Every Christian grace may be counterfeited. 
Even all love to the people of God is not what 
the Scripture requires. John Newton well 
says, "There is a natural love to the brethren. 
People may sincerely love their relations, 
friends, and benefactors who are of the breth- 
ren, and yet be utter strangers to the scriptu- 
ral love the apostle speaks of. So Orpah had 
a great affection for Naomi, though it was not 
strong enough to make her willing with Euth 
to leave her native country and her idol-gods. 
Natural affection can go no further than to a 
personal attachment ; and they who thus love 
the brethren, and upon no better grounds, are 
often disgusted with those things in them for 
which the real brethren chiefly love one an- 
other. 

"There is likewise a love of convenience. The 
Lord's people are gentle, peaceful, benevolent, 
swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. 
They are desirous of adorning the doctrine of 



398 VITAL GODLINESS. 

God their Saviour, and approving themselves 
followers of him who pleased not himself, but 
spent his life in doing good to others. Upon 
this account they who are full of themselves, 
and love to have their own way, may like their 
company because they find more compliances 
and less opposition from them than from such 
as themselves. For a while Laban loved Ja- 
cob: he found him diligent and trustworthy, 
and perceived that the Lord prospered him on 
Jacob's account ; but when he saw that Jacob 
flourished, and apprehended he was likely to 
do without him, his love was soon at an endj 
for it was onlv founded in self-interest. 

'' A. ]party-love is also common. The objects 
of this are those who are of the same sentiment, 
worship in the same way, or are attached to 
the same minister. They who are united in 
such narrow and separate associations, may 
express warm affections without giving any 
proof of true Christian love ; for upon such 
grounds as these not only professed Christians, 
but Jews and Turks may be said to love one 
another: though it must be allowed that be- 
lievers being renewed but in part, the love 
which they bear to the brethren is too often 
debased and alloyed by a mixture of selfish 



LOVE TO THE BEETHEEN. 399 

affections." It is a great matter when love 
unfeigned to God's people fairly gets posses- 
sion of the man. 

Again, our love to the brethren should be 
lasting, and not occasional or temporary. "Let 
brotherly love continued Heb. 13:1. The 
reasons which should lead us to brotherly love 
at one time are of perpetual force, nor can we 
innocently deny their power or refuse their 
control. All affections which seem to be of 
good quality, but are temporary in duration, 
are spurious. This is as true of temporary 
faith or sorrow for sin, as of love. True grace 
is not like Jonah's gourd, which "came up in 
a night and perished in a night." 

Our love to the brethren should also be 
fervent. Well did Peter say, "See that ye 
love one another with a pure heart fervently." 
1 Pet. 1 : 22. Love wholly without fervor can- 
not exist. There is no such thing. But love 
without considerable fervor will make many ol 
our duties to our brethren irksome. Besides, 
we are naturally timid. Pride might embolden 
us, but pride is officious and offensive. On the 
other hand, love is as humble as it is diligent, 
and begets a sweet and obliging disposition, 
and prepares us to do good on a large scale. 



400 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Nor can dijBTerences of nationality hinder this. 
I have heard of a Hindoo and a New Zealander 
who met upon the deck of a missionary ship 
They had been converted from their heathen- 
ism, and were brothers in Christ, but they 
could not speak to each other. They pointed 
to their Bibles, shook hands, smiled in one 
another's faces, but that was all. At last a 
happy thought occurred to the Hindoo. With 
a sudden joy he exclaimed, '' Hallelujah P' the 
New Zealander, in delight, cried out, ''Amen!" 
Those two words, not found in their own hea- 
then tongues, but given them by the gospel, 
were to them the beginning again of ' ' one lan- 
guage and one speech." 

The true basis of love to God's people is 
not merely the gratitude we may owe them for 
their kindness, or the good- will we bear to them 
in common with others, but it is especially the 
image of God that is in them. We love them 
in the Lord. It is loving them because they 
are disciiDles. One Christian loves another 
chiefly because he has a likeness to Christ, and 
lives for the glory of Christ. 

Nothing can damp the ardor of true love. 
For a while Joseph of Arimathea was a disci- 
ple secretly, for fear of the Jews ; yet at the 



LOVE TO THE BEETHEEN. 401 

crucifixion he goes and begs the body of Jesus. 
The terrible persecution which broke out three 
or four years after Christ's resurrection, could 
not so intimidate the church but that "devout 
men carried Stephen to his burial, and made 
great lamentation over him." Acts 8 : 2. Try- 
ing occasions do commonly draw out this pious 
affection in a surprising manner. My brother 
in sorrow is still my brother, and the heavier 
his grief, the more fitness is there in my lov- 
ing him and refusing to let him go unnoticed. 
Oharnock says, "At the last day, the trial of 
men is by their acts towards God's jpeo])le in 
time of their persecutions." And in proof, he 
refers to Christ's account of the final judgment 
as given in Matthew 25. He is right. If we 
are ashamed of the bonds of God's people, it is 
idle for us to pretend to love them after a 
godly sort when they are in prosperity. 

In the early histor}^ of the Christian relig- 
ion, nothing was more remarkable than the 
love which one disciple bore to another. This 
was noticed by friends and foes. Lucian scofiF- 
ingly says of the Christians of his time, "Their 
Lawgiver has persuaded them that they are all 
brethren." Another heathen says, "Christians 
do love one another before they are acquaint- 



402 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ed, if they but know that they are Christians." 
Indeed it was often said among the heathen, 
*'See how these Christians love one another, 
and how ready they are to die for each other." 
Tertullian says, ''This surprised them beyond 
measure, since they are accustomed to hate 
one another — that one man should be ready to 
die for another." 

The proper proofs of our love to the breth- 
ren are found in our making common cause 
with them in all their sufferings for righteous- 
ness' sake, in being very slow to take offence 
at their conduct, in abhorring all bigotry and 
haughty exclusiveness, in embracing all the 
friends of God of every rank and condition, of 
every name and nation, and especially in lov- 
ing most fervently those who give the highest 
proof of having been born again; for this 
brotherly love supposes that our brethren have 
their hearts drawn out to us just in proportion 
as they see us wear the image and manifest the 
spirit of Jesus Christ. 

True love to our brother will make no man 
a bigot. John Foster thus describes a bigot : 
''He sees religion not as a sphere, but a line, 
and it is a line in which he is moving. He is 
like an African buffalo — sees right forward. 



LOVE TO THE BEETHEEN. 403 

but nothing on the right or left. He would 
not perceive a legion of angels or devils at the 
distance of ten yards on the one side or on the 
other." 

This love to Christ's people is among the 
best evidences of a renewed state. ''We 
know that we have passed from death unto 
life, because we love the brethren. He that 
loveth not his brother, abideth in death." 
1 John 3 : 14. "The more believers love God, 
the more they will love one another ; as lines, 
the nearer they are to the centre, the nearer 
they are to one another."* 

Perhaps there is no method of teaching the 
true nature of any grace so well as by exam- 
ple. Take then for your consideration and 
imitation the case of John, the disciple whom 
Jesus loved. Eespectable historians say that, 
after the ascension of our Lord, he remained 
in Judea fifteen or twenty years, and was pres- 
ent at the Council at Jerusalem. After that he 
spent most of his time in Asia Minor, and par- 
ticularly at Ephesus. He survived all the 
other apostles, and lived to be a hundred years 
old. He has been celebrated for two thousand 
years as a very loving brother. Yet his love 

* Chamock. 



4:04 VITAL GODLINESS. 

v^^as not blind and fond. It did not make him 
pretend brotherly love to those enemies of 
righteousness who had crept into the church 
under false pretences. " Charity rejoice th in 
the truth." "It rejoiceth not in iniquity." 
When John lived at Ephesus, he went to bathe, 
and seeing in the bath a celebrated heretic, 
who had denied the divinity of our Lord, he 
hastily retired, saying, ''Let us flee, lest the 
bath should fall while this enemy of the truth 
is within." This story is given by Irenseus, 
who had it from those to whom Polycarp, the 
disciple of John, had told it. John was now 
the only living apostle. Cerinthus and Ebion 
were industriously spreading the contagion of 
their false' doctrines, denying the Lord that 
bought them. John loved his Lord, he loved 
the souls of men, he loved his Christian breth- 
ren too well to favor or seem to favor heresy, 
by voluntarily companying with the enemies 
of his Lord and Master in any way that seemed 
to sanction their errors. John practised as he 
taught. In his second epistle he says to the 
elect lady, ''If there come any unto you, and 
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into 
your house, neither bid him God-speed ; for he 
that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his 



LOVE TO THE BRETHREN. 405 

evil deeds." 2 John 10, 11. John would have 
us cease from the instruction that causeth to 
err. His threatening language concerning 
Diotrephes, in his third epistle, verses 9, 10, 
shows that he never regarded it as proof of 
brotherly love to permit bad men to destroy 
or even disturb the flock of Christ. 

It is stated that in a tour through the 
churches he became much interested in a 
young man, who was soon brought into the 
Christian church. Yery soon the young man 
fell into temptation, was much in evil company, 
became idle, intemperate, and dishonest, final- 
ly heading a band of robbers. John, hearing 
of the sad change, went near his haunts, and 
allowed himself to be taken by the robbers. 
" Bring me," says he, '' to your captain." As 
soon as the leader saw John coming, and knew 
who he was, he was filled with shame, and fled. 
The apostle pursued him, crying, "My son, 
why fleest thou from thy old and unarmed 
father? Fear not; even yet there is hope of 
salvation. Believe me, Christ has sent me." 
The young man stopped, trembled, and wept 
bitterly. The apostle prevailed on him to 
forsake his sins, brought him back to the soci- 
ety of the Christians, and had the pleasure of 



406 VITAL GODLINESS. 

seeing him leading a pious and blameless life. 
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the 
truth, and one convert him ; let him know, that 
he ^hich converteth the sinner from the error 
of his way shall save a soul from death, and 
shall hide a multitude of sins.*' James 5 : 20. 
Brotherly love never willing^ leaves one to 
perish in his ignorance, errors, or vices. It 
goes after the lost sheep. It pities the wan- 
derer. 

When John was very old, and unable even 
to walk to the places of public worship, he was 
still carried to the Christian assemblies, where, 
when he could not say much, he at least cried 
out, ''Children, love one another.'^ ''Being 
asked why he told them but one thing, he an- 
swered that nothing else was needed." The 
truth of this narrative is, I think, generally 
admitted. And surely it presents to the mind 
one of the most lovely examples and lessons of 
brotherly kindness that we have on record. 
Who can refrain from expressing his admira- 
tion of so exalted worth ? The Lord grant 
that we all may love as John loved. 

In this subject there is furnished us very 
great help in the work of self-examination. 
Love to the brethren is as essential a mark of 



LOVE TO THE BKETHKEN. 407 

true piety as is faith. So teaches God's word. 
"This is his commandment, that we should be- 
lieve on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and 
love one another, as he gave us command- 
ment." 1 John 3 : 23. It is not easy for us 
to press this matter too much on our own atten- 
tion. Do we love the disciples of Christ be- 
cause they learn of him and are taught of God ? 
Do we study to promote their usefulness, com- 
fort, and honor out of a special delight in their 
character ? When we see a brother or a sis- 
ter naked and destitute of daily food, do we 
say. Depart in peace ; be ye warmed and filled ; 
and yet decline to give them those things which 
are needful to the body? Do we put away 
from us all bitterness and wrath and anger 
and clamor and evil-speaking, with all malice ? 
Are we kind one to another, tender-hearted, 
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's 
sake hath forgiven us ? Do we walk in love ? 
Do we sympathize with John Wesley in his 
prayer, ''Lord, if I must dispute, let it be 
with the children of the devil; let me be at 
peace with thy children?" Do we limit our 
warm charities to those of our own commun- 
ion ; or do we fervently love all who love our 
Lord Jesus Christ ? 



408 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The motives presented in Scripture for 
Christians loving one another are such as these : 

1. In the world they have tribulation. 
They weep and lament and are sorrowful. 
John 16:20. To him that is afflicted, pity 
should be shown. To him who is persecuted by 
the enemies of God, great friendship should be 
manifested by the friends of Grod, lest his sor- 
rows should overwhelm him. 

2. The world hates God's people, and noth- 
ing but the love of the brethren can compen- 
sate for so much malignancy from others. 
Christ said, "If the world hate you, ye know 
that it hated me before it hated you. If ye 
were of the world, the world would love his 
own ; but because ye are not of the world, but 
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore 
the world hateth you." John 15 : 18, 19. All 
this is spoken by Christ to enforce brotherly 
love. 

3. Love to the brethren is to the world a 
powerful proof of the divinity of the Christian 
religion. Jesus says, "By this shall all men 
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have lov3 
one to another." John 13 : 35. No other 
founder of a sect or religion ever made love a 
test and mark of belouging to him. And it is 



LOVE TO THE BKETHEEN. 409 

a fact fully sustained by churcli history, that 
whenever the gospel has unusual power over 
men's minds, it is always preceded or accom- 
panied hj much love to the brethren. 

4. We are urged to brotherly love by the 
sweet and awful authority of Jesus Christ: "A 
new COMMANDMENT givc / uuto you, that ye 
love one another." Even advice- from Christ 
we should be bound to follow; but his com- 
mand none may innocently forget. "These 
things I command you, that ye love one anoth- 
er." John 15 : 17. To rebel against such 
authority must be truly perilous. 

5. The love of Christ towards us should 
constrain us to love our brethren. Christ 
himself urged this consideration : ' ' As I have 
loved you, even so do ye love one another." 
Let us love our brethren, not for our own 
sakes, nor chiefly for their own sakes, but for 
Christ's sake. This consideration binds, and 
is felt to be powerful by all who lovo our Lord 
Jesus Christ. "Let brotherly love con- 
tinue." Heb. 13 : 1. 

In this and the three preceding chapters, 
the subject of love has been brought before 
the attention of the reader. A more heavenly 
theme could not be found. God is love ; heav- 

Vltal GodlineBS. 1 8 



410 VITAL GODLINESS. 

en is love. Christ is love incarnate; religion 
is love in exercise. Nothing is of more im- 
portance to any one's happiness, usefulness, or 
salvation than that he be filled with love. 
True, men are not saved for their love, but 
they cannot be saved without it. Nor can 
any mortal utter a kinder wish for all to whom 
he wishes well, than to say with Paul, ''This 
I pray, that your love may abound yet more 
and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 
that ye may approve things that are excellent ; 
that ye may be sincere and without offence till 
the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits 
of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, 
unto the glory and praise of Grod." Phil. 
1:9-11. 



PEACE. 411 



CHAPTER XIX. 

PEACE. 

Peace is the opposite of war, persecution, 
temptation, condemnation, alarm, tumult, strife, 
contention, controversy, quarrelling. 

In the Scriptures, the word ])eace relates to 
several different things. By nature we are all 
enemies to God, and by wicked works we evince 
and strengthen our aversion to God and holi- 
ness. But "being justified by faith, we have 
peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." Rom. 5:1. By this peace with God 
we are freed from condemnation. "We are no 
longer hostile to God, nor he to us. "We no 
more contend with the Almighty, nor he with 
us. Christ is our Surety, our Sacrifice, our 
Peace. "Thorns grow everywhere, and from 
all things below ; and from a soul transplanted 
out of itself into the root of Jesse, peace grows 
everywhere too from Him who is called Our 
Peace, and whom we still find the more to be 
so the more entirely we live in him, being dead 
to the world and self and all things besides 



412 VITAL GODLINESS. 

him." The repose of the soul in its God and 
Saviour is wonderful. ''Thou wilt keep him 
in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee ; 
"because he trusteth in thee.'^ Isa. 26 : 3. This 
"peace of Grod passeth all understanding." 
Phil. 4:7. In its basis and in its effects no 
mortal has adequate conceptions of its richness 
as a blessing from God. "When he giveth 
quietness, who then can make trouble?" said 
Job, chap. 34 : 29. And Jesus Christ himself 
said, ''Peace I leave with you, my peace I 
give unto you : not as the world giveth give I 
unto you." John 14 : 27. Nothing can finally 
destroy this peace. "Who is he that condemn- 
eth ? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is 
risen again, who is even at the right hand of 
God, who also maketh intercession for us." 
Rom. 8 : 34. 

This is one of God's richest blessings. It 
is the sum and beginning of all mercies. It is 
a pledge that we shall never perish. This 
counsel of peace is between God and every 
soul that flees to Jesus. "The chastisement 
of our peace was upon him." Isa. 53:5. By 
Him we have access to God. We are entitled 
to call him our Father and our God. God is 
in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 



PEACE. 413 

not imputing their trespasses unto them. 
When God thus pardons and accepts us, every 
creature in the universe, whose friendship can 
do us permanent good, is made to be on our 
side. The angels become ministering spirits 
to aid and befriend us as Grod shall commis- 
sion them. The stars in their courses no lon- 
ger fight against us. He has even made a cov- 
enant for his chosen ''with the beasts of the 
field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with 
the creeping things of the ground." Hos. 2:18. 
We may therefore speak boldly to all who 
have made peace with Grod by Jesus Christ, 
and say, "All things are yours; whether Paul, 
or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or 
death, or things present, or things to come : all 
are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is 
God's." 1 Cor. 3 : 21-23. Paul seven times 
uses a phrase nowhere else found in Scripture. 
It is this, " The God of peace." And surely a 
more striking delineation of the blessed char- 
acter of God could not be given in so few 
words, unless we except those words of John, 
"God is love." Let every man "acquaint 
himself with God, and be at peace." Job 
22 ; 21. So also our Saviour is "The Prince 
of peace." In him we have reconciliation with 



414: VITAL GODLINESS. 

Grod and all other good things. He was sent 
' ' to guide our feet into the way of peace ." Luke 
1 : 79. His " kingdom is not meat and drink; 
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost.^' Eom. 14 : 17. So " to be spir- 
itually-minded is life and peace." Eom. 8 : 6. 
And so also no greater blessing could be asked 
on others than this: " G-race be unto you, and 
peace, from him which is, and which was, and 
which is to come ; and from the seven spirits 
which are before his throne ; and from Jesus 
Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the 
First-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of 
the kings of the earth." Eev. 1:4, 5. 

From peace with G-od through Christ nat- 
urally flows peace of conscience. This is a 
vast treasure. Nothing can compensate the 
want of it. Nothing can make us happy with- 
out it. In the angels above, peace of con- 
science is the fruit of innocence. In man it is 
the purchase of a Saviour's blood. We must 
have our hearts sprinkled from an evil con- 
science, else the sting will remain and rankle 
for ever. Heb. 10 : 22. Yea, we must have 
our consciences purged from dead works, or 
we never can acceptably serve the living God. 
Heb. 9:14. If we are ever to be made per- 



PEACE. 415 

feet as pertaining to the conscience, it cannot 
be ''without blood." Heb. 9 : 7, 9. The blood 
of Christ "turns our fears into hojoes, and our 
sorrows into songs ; it settles the agitations of 
our spirits ; it silences troubles in us ; it is a 
ground of peace to us. That which hath been 
a sweet savor to pacify God, wants not a savor 
to appease our consciences.'' The great mis- 
ery of the wicked is that to them" '' there is no 
peace." Isa. 48 : 22, and 57 : 21. '' The way 
of peace they know not." Isa. 59:8; Eom. 
3:17. Conscience of sin remaining, no man 
can be otherwise than a poor trembling, self- 
condemned creature. Nor can he by harden- 
ing his heart erect any strong bulwarks against 
the sudden invasion of extreme terrors. 

This peace of conscience is often interrupt- 
ed by our sins and follies. When worldliness 
takes the place of a tender walk ; when prin- 
ciple is impinged on; when practice is made 
to conform to temptation; when time seems 
more important than eternity; then we may 
know that sooner or later there will be an up- 
roar in our consciences . But * ' great peace have 
they which love thy law." Psa. 119 : 165. It 
is in vain for any one to hope for a blessing 
when he is saying, "I shall have peace, though 



416 VITAL GODLINESS. 

I walk in the imagination of my heart." Deut. 
29:19. 

A third kind of peace is when God disposes 
our fellow-men to regard us with so much favor 
as to let us alone, not to tease, torment, perse- 
cute, or make war upon us, but to think, speak 
and act in a friendly way towards us. This is 
a great blessing, and when it is made sure to 
us we ought to give hearty thanks to God for 
it, for he is its author. "When a man's ways 
please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies 
to be at peace with him." Prov. 16:7. Thus 
for a long time Solomon "had peace on all 
sides round about him." 1 Kings 4 : 24. 

It is true that this peace is not, like the 
others, essential to our piety or our happiness. 
Jesus Christ said, "Think not that I am come to 
send peace on earth : I came not to send peace, 
but a sword." Matt. 10 : 34. And the effect 
of true piety under all dispensations has been 
to provoke the malice of wicked men, though 
oftentimes it is restrained by the good provi- 
dence of God. He turns men's hearts whith- 
ersoever he will. 

But the word peace is also applied to our 
habits, pursuits, and dispositions towards oth- 
ers. "Follow peace with all men." Each of 



PEACE. 417 

the other kinds of peace is a rich blessing. 
This is a weighty duty. On this point the 
Scriptures are very clear and full. Thus evei^ 
to Nabal David sent this message : " Peace be 
both to thee, and peace be to thy house, and 
peace be unto all that thou hast." 1 Sam. 
25:6. So Jeremiah sent a letter to all his 
brethren, captives in Babylon, saying, ''Build 
ye houses, and dwell in them ; and plant gar- 
dens, and eat the fruit of them;... and seek 
the peace of the city whither I have caused 
you to be carried away captive, and pray unto 
the Lord for it : for in the peace thereof shall 
ye have peace." Jer. 29 : 5, 7. The circum- 
stances of the people to whom this message was 
sent were such that, if any thing in the shape 
of wrong could have justified revenge, they 
surely would have been at liberty to seek the 
ruin of the city that had dealt so proudly and 
cruelly with them. But God, by the mouth of 
his prophet, condemns all such proceedings, 
and requires a line of conduct quite the oppo- 
site. The prophet delivers his message in an 
extreme case, and yet with the utmost clear- 
ness and consistency with other parts of God's 
word. Paul also says, " Let us follow after the 
things which make for peace." Rom. 14 : 19.^ 

18* 



418 VITAL GODLINESS. 

'' God hath called us to peace.'' 1 Cor. 7 :15. 
''The fruit of the Spirit is peace." Gal. 5 : 22. 

^'' Live in peace." 2 Cor. 13 : 11. '* Endeavor 
to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of 
peace." Bph. 4:3. He also commands us to 
pray for our rulers, '' that we may lead a quiet 
and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty." 
1 Tim. 2 : 2. The apostle James also says, ''The 
wisdom that is from above is first pure, then 
peaceable;" and, "the fruit of righteousness 
is sown in peace of them that make peace." 
James 3:17, 18. Our blessed Saviour also 
said to his disciples, "Have peace one with 
another." Mark 9 : 50. So that there is not 
left the shadow of a doubt respecting the bind- 
ing obligation upon all men to have and to 
manifest peaceable dispositions at all times. 
Nor should we ever forget that the duty is 
enjoined with great frequency and solemnity. 
We should therefore address ourselves to this 
with much seriousness and earnestness. Nor 
are we at liberty to limit our endeavors after 
peace to friendly relations. We must " follow 
peace with all men." We are not at liberty 
to confine our efforts in this behalf to a few, 
and those of our own circle or party. We 

• must let our endeavors extend to all with whom 



PEACE. 419 

we have dealings. " If a stranger sojourn with 
you in your land, ye shall not vex him." Lev. 
19:33. 

What then is enjoined on us in maintain- 
ing peace with our fellow-men ? The answer 
is, that first of all we are bound to entertain 
peaceable ^nd friendly thoughts respecting all 
men. In the heart is the seat of every virtue. 
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.'^ 
If men be not in their temper and disposition 
peaceable, it is certain that they do in their 
hearts violate the whole spirit of the gospel. 
Nor will it be possible for such to make their 
outward conduct conform to the scriptural 
standard. " It is hard to act a part long • for 
where truth is not at the bottom, nature will 
always be endeavoring to return, and will peep 
out and betray herself one time or other. '^ 

Another thing to be done in fulfilment of 
our duty is, to speak peaceably. The peace 
of neighborhoods is often destroyed by words. 
''G-rievous words stir up anger." Prov. 15:1. 
"Where no wood is, the fire goeth out; so 
where there is no talebearer, the strife ceas- 
eth." Prov. 26 : 20. " The words of a tale- 
bearer are as wounds." Prov. 18:8. "Een- 
der not railing for railing." 1 Pet. 3 : 9 . Paul 



420 VITAL GODLINESS. 

warns us against ''strifes of words.'' 1 Tim. 
6 : 5 ; 2 Tim. 2:14. Eash words may have as 
ill an effect as those which are the fruit of a 
truly malignant design in destroying the peace 
of families and of neighborhoods. "A whis- 
perer separateth chief friends," Prov. 16:28; 
and ''an angry man stirreth up strife." Prov. 
29:22. We cannot therefore be too guarded 
in our speech. "Death and life are in the 
power of the tongue." Prov. 18:21. And 
every prudent man will pray, "Set a watch, 
Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of 
my lips." Psa. 141 : 3. A good man has said, 
"Before we allow ourselves to find fault with 
any person behind his back, we should ask 
ourselves three questions: 1. Is it true? 2. Is 
it kind? 3. Is it necessary?" A little heart- 
searching, even a little reflection before a hard 
speech, would effectually prevent much misery. 
John Newton says, "In mixed conversa- 
tion, it is a good rule to say nothing, without 
a just cause, to the disadvantage of others." 
Again, "I was once in a krge company, where 

very severe things were spoken of Mr. W , 

when one person seasonably observed, that 
though the Lord was pleased to effect conver- 
sion and edification by a variety of means, he 



PEACE. 421 

had never known anybody convinced of error 
by what was said of him behind his back. This 
was about thirteen years ago, and it has been 
on my mind a useful hint ever since." 

Another matter required of us is, to act 
peaceably. ''A man that hath friends must 
show himself friendly. '^ Prov. 18 : 24. And 
here the Scriptures furnish us both with rules 
and with examples. Take the case of Abram 
and Lot, the uncle and the nephew. These 
two great men had each many flocks and herds 
and tents. ''And the land was not able to bear 
them, that they might dwell together : for their 
substance was great, so that they could not 
dwell together. And there was a strife be- 
tween the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the 
herdmen of Lot's cattle. . . And Abram said 
unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, be- 
tween me and thee, and between my herdmen 
and thy herdmen ; for we be brethren. Is not 
the whole land before thee ? Separate thyself, 
I pray thee, from me : if thou wilt take the 
left hand, then I will go to the right ; or if 
thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to 
the left." Gen. 13 : 6-9. Strife can hardly 
subsist where such a temper is manifested. 
There is no fuel to keep the fire burning. The 



422 VITAL GODLINESS. 

wisdom of the course adopted by Abram was 
conspicuous in these things: 1. In keeping 
separate interests from clashing. It is a great 
trial when good men are so situated that they 
cannot avoid collision of interests. Here is an 
example. Let them follow it. 2. Abram re- 
fused to listen to the stories of his servants. 
They seem to have been men ready for strife. 
It is hard, but it is wise, to avoid mingling 
ourselves with the quarrels into which our ser- 
vants get with others. 3. Abram showed his 
wisdom by leaving all his interests in the hands 
of Grod. If we will mind his glory, he will 
mind our welfare. 

The last generation was adorned by one 
who, in some respects, and especially in faith 
and peaceableness, particularly in his latter 
days, was a child of Abraham. I refer to the 
pious Simeon of Cambridge, England, who said, 
'' The longer I live, the more I feel the impor- 
tance of adhering to the rules which I have laid 
down for myself in relation to the following 
subjects : 

1. "To hear as little as possible what is to 
the prejudice of others. 

2. ''To believe nothing of the kind till I 
am absolutely forced to it. 



PEACE. 423 

3. ''Never to drink into the spirit of one 
who circulates an ill report. 

4. '' Always to moderate as far as I can the 
unkindness which is expressed towards others. 

5. "Always to believe that, if the other 
side were heard, a very different account would 
be given of the matter. 

" I consider love as wealth ; and as I would 
resist a man who should come to rob my house, 
so would I a man who would weaken my re- 
gard for any human being. I consider too, 
that persons are cast in different moulds ; and 
that to ask myself, What should / do in that 
person's situation ? is not a just mode of judg- 
ing. I must not expect a man that is naturally 
cold and reserved to act as one that is naturally 
warm and affectionate; and I think it a great 
evil that people do not make more allowances 
for each other in this particular. I think relig- 
ious people are too little attentive to these con- 
siderations." 

It is hardly possible that a man honestly 
holding and practising such views should fail 
to be esteemed a good man, and in a time of 
freedom from legal persecution, should fail to 
enjoy general quietness of life and the respect 
of all good men who know him. 



424 VITAL GODLINESS. 

One of the most serious Mnderances to the 
peace of many men and many communities is 
found in occasional outbursts of bad temper. 
Some men are constitutionally moody. They 
ar€ not, and without a miracle they could not 
be, uniform. Their feelings vary with the 
wind, with the state of their stomachs, and 
with other mutable things. Others are ner- 
vous, and are easily provoked to tears or to 
passion. Some are naturally choleric and ex- 
citable. Many from early infancy have had bad 
precepts and worse examples held up before 
them. Some are fretted and crossed in child- 
hood and youth, until they are like the trained 
whelps of the tiger. All this is to be greatly 
deplored; for "a wrathful man stirreth up 
strife.'' Proverbs 15 : 18. Indeed, the first 
bursts of passion are often like coals thrown 
among shavings. There is no telling what will 
be the end of the mischief done. 

It would vastly conduce to peace if men 
could be induced to guard against all causes, 
occasions, and beginnings of discord. ''The 
beginning of strife is as when one letteth out 
water : therefore leave off contention, before it 
be meddled with." Prov. 17 : 14. ''Nip the 
evil in the bud,'' is one of the best rules. 



PEACE. 425 

Nor do we follow peace when we allow our- 
selves to be made parties to contests which do 
not concern us. ''He that passeth by,, and 
meddleth with a strife not belonging to him, is 
like one that taketh a dog by the ears/' Pro v. 
26:17. 

One of the greatest disturbers of peace is 
pride. It is sure to be insolent. It struts, 
and boasts, and vapors, and provokes others. 
''He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife." 
Prov. 28 : 25. " Only by pride cometh con- 
tention.'' Prov. 13:10. There is a ''wrath 
of pride." Prov. 21 : 24. 

Ambition also begets many contests. There 
never was a more unhappy state of feeling in 
the family of our Saviour than when "there 
was a strife among them which of them should 
be greatest." Luke 22 : 24. 

It would greatly conduce to the advance- 
ment of peace, if men could be induced to put 
a just estimate on its value. In the eyes of a 
wise and good man, it is always of great price. 
In Scripture it is mentioned side by side with 
the most excellent things. By one prophet 
God says, "Love the truth and peace." Zech. 
8:19. By one apostle he says, "Follow peace 
with all men, and holiness, without which no 



426 VITAL GODLINESS. 

man shall see the Lord.'^ Heb. 12:14. So 
that if truth and holiness are of great price in 
the eyes of God and good men, so is peace. 
In his old age John Newton wrote, "Peace 
and holiness are the peculiar characteristics of 
a disciple of Jesus; they are the richest part 
of the enjoyments of heaven ; . . . and they are 
more inseparably connected between them- 
selves than some of us are aware of. The lon- 
ger I live, the more I see of the vanity and 
sinfulness of our unchristian disputes; they 
eat up the very vitals of religion." 

Our great guaranty against a disturbed, 
distracted existence is to be found in God 
alone. He is our refuge as well as our 
strength. Thus says David, ''Thou shalt hide 
them in the secret of thy presence from the 
pride of men ; thou shalt keep them secretly in 
a pavilion from the strife of tongues. '^ Psa. 
31 : 20. 

Nor can we easily overestimate the evils 
that flow from a state of carnal strife between 
man and man, or between the sections of a 
community. "Where envying and strife is, 
there is contention and every evil work.'' 
Jas. 3:16. See also Gal. 5:15. 

Yet so inveterate is this spirit of conten- 



PEACE. 427 

tion, and so dreadfully does it blind the mind, 
that it is with great difficulty men of strife can 
be brought to believe that they are injuring 
and degrading themselves by all their malice. 
''It is an honor for a man to cease from strife; 
but every fool will be meddling." Prov. 
20 : 3. Such a sentence is either not heeded 
by them, or it strikes terror into their con- 
sciences. Other portions of God's word are 
no less explicit. Paul puts wrath and strife 
in a list of vices of the most hateful character. 
G-al. 5 : 19-21. James says, ''If ye have bit- 
ter envying and strife in your hearts, glory 
not, and lie not against the truth." Jas. 3:14. 

Nothing should more arouse us to this 
duty than the example of our blessed Lord, of 
whom it was foretold that "he shall not strive 
nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his voice 
in the streets." Matt. 12:19. "When he 
was reviled, he reviled not again; when he 
suffered, he threatened not." 

We can now see why our blessed Saviour 
spoke as he did concerning those who, with a 
good will, seek to promote peace around them. 
"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall 
be called the children of God." 

And can any imagine a more interesting 



428 VITAL GODLINESS. 

sight than a community regulated by such 
principles as the gospel enjoins on this subject, 
where would be nothing to hurt or destroy in 
all God's holy mountain ? 

But the question arises, How far are we to 
bear and forbear ; how much must we yield for 
peace ? Is it possible for us to control other 
people's minds and acts in this matter ? And 
here it is pleasant to be able to say that the 
Bible prescribes no impossible tasks. Its lan- 
guage is, "If it be possible, as much as lieth 
in you, live peaceably with all men." Rom. 
12 : 18. How plain and how safe is this rule. 
Up to the measure of our ability we must 
go, but the law extends no further. Nay, 
the Scriptures tell us of one great and good 
man whose lament was, "My soul hath long 
dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for 
peace; but when I speak, they are for war.'' 
Psa. 120: 6, 7. They go further, and tell us 
of some who "preach Christ even of envy and 
strife." Phil. 1 : 15, 16. There is no limit to 
the contentious propensities of some. They 
introduce virulence even into their most sol- 
emn public acts in religion. Some do all this, 
and yet add all the time great professions of 
love. Thus in the days of Micah, God speaks 



PEACE. 429 

of "prophets that make my people err, that 
bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he 
that putteth not into their mouths, they even 
prepare war against him." Micah 3:5. 

We are then not at liberty to forsake God 
or deny his truth, in order to promote peace. 
On the contrary, we must obey God rather 
than man. We must contend earnestly for the 
faith once delivered to the saints. We must 
never make shipwreck of faith. We must 
never part with a good^ conscience. " Buy the 
truth, and sell it not" — sell it not even for 
peace. The world asks too dear a price for 
its smiles or its favor, when it asks us to re- 
nounce the faith of God's people, or purity of 
mind. 

Nor is it necessarily proof of a wrong spirit 
in us to refuse to surrender our just and legal 
rights merely because others choose to at- 
tempt to take them from us. Paul exclaimed, 
'*I am a Roman citizen." "I appeal to Caesar." 
Nor can any sober man deny that his reten- 
tion of his rights in these cases was every way 
justifiable. This will suggest our right course 
respecting lawsuits. We should not engage in 
these from ambition or a love of contention. 
We should not be litigious. Oftentimes "a 



430 VITAL GODLINESS. 

bad settlement is better tlian a good lawsuit." 
Those who love to resort to courts seldom 
thrive. As the wolf spends all his strength in 
escaping from the dogs and the hunters, al- 
though he eats many sheep, so the enormous 
expenses of the practised litigant, even when 
successful, very much exhaust his means, and 
keep him poor. 



COUEAGE. 431 

CHAPTER XX. 

COUKAGE. 

I ONCE asked a great general what propor- 
tion of men might be regarded as naturally 
brave without discipline ? He said it was im- 
possible to answer the question with precision, 
but that the number was very small. If the 
inquiry had related to the tempers of men in 
the performance of their moral and religious 
duties, the number of ihe naturally courageous 
might have been stated as still less. Sin has 
made cowards of us all. Without the grace of 
Grod no man has heroism enough left to enable 
him to do his duty to God or man. We are 
not only averse to holiness, but we have a very 
peculiar dread of those things which by the 
wicked are inflicted on the conscientious. We 
have need of constant support and encourage- 
ment in the path of rectitude. Accordingly 
no small part of all good writings, inspired and 
uninspired, are designed to give boldness in 
the profession and practice of that which is 
right. Thus in Psa. 27:14 we read, ''Be of 
good courage, and he shall strengthen thy 



432 VITAL GODLINESS. 

heart;" and in Psa. 31 : 24, " Be of good cour- 
age, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye 
that hope in the Lord." When Joshua sent 
away the spies, his chief exhortation to them 
was to ''be of good courage." Num. 13 : 20. 
Among the dying counsels of Moses to Israel, 
in view of the conquest of Canaan, was this: 
''Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, 
nor be afraid of them : for the Lord thy Grod, 
he it is that doth go with thee ; he will not fail 
thee, nor forsake thee." Deut. 31 : 6. The 
same exhortation is given by God himself 
through Joshua. Josh. 1 : 6, 9; 10: 25. A 
part of David's dying advice to Solomon was, 
"Be strong and of good courage; dread not, 
nor be dismayed." 1 Chron. 22 : 13. Again, 
"Be strong and of good courage, and do it ; fear 
not, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, even 
my God, will be with thee ; he will not fail 
thee, nor forsake thee." 1 Chron. 28 : 20. 
Words of similar import have often been ad- 
dressed to armies about to engage in battle. 
2 Sam. 10:12; 1 Chron. 19 : 13. Indeed, so 
surely as the spirit of piety revives among any 
people, there will be a great revival of cour- 
age. See Ezra 10 : 4, and many other places, 
especially Acts 4:13, 29, 31. In like manner 



COURAGE. 433 

Paul exhorts the Corinthians : ' ' Watch ye, 
stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, he 
strong.'''' Of like import are those numerous 
exhortations in both Testaments to "be strong," 
to "be strong in the Lord," etc. In fact the 
Scriptures often speak in tones of high com- 
mendation of doing things courageously, and 
greatly censure such as are not valiant for the 
truth. Indeed, when sin is impudent and bra- 
zen-faced, it is not right that piety should be 
timid and sneaking. Accordingly the genuine 
people of God have in all ages manifested 
more or less intrepidity in the cause of truth. 
And as inspired men, so also uninspired men, 
who have gained a just influence in the church 
of God, have always commended this virtue. 
Indeed what can be done without it ? A timid, 
discouraged, despondent, cowardly person is 
ill prepared to meet the rough assaults of the 
enemies of virtue. He will 3deld the citadel 
of truth, and flee as one ashamed. He will 
betray the best interests of his cause. He will 
defend nothing, and uphold nothing good. He 
will be a poor help and a poor reliance in the 
day of trouble. 

But what is the courage which the Scrip- 
tures commend? This is a question of great 

Vital Corilinees, 19 



434 VITAL GODLINESS. 

importance. There are in our language four 
words which are often used confusedly. These 
are, hravery, courage, valor^ smd fortitude. Brav- 
ery belongs to the animal part of our nature ; 
courage to the mental. The former depends 
on physical temperament; the latter on the 
reason. Bravery is an instinct ; courage is a 
virtue. One may be brave without thought. 
He cannot be courageous unless he calmly re- 
flects. Bravery is often headlong and head- 
strong ; courage is cool and reasonable. The 
former acts upon an impulse ; the latter upon 
conviction. By delay bravery dies away ; by 
delay courage gains strength. Bravery is 
blind and furious; courage is far-seeing and 
prudent. Men are brave in common with the 
war-horse ; they have courage in common with 
the great patriots and bleeding martyrs of all 
ages. A man may be brave without courage, 
and courageous without bravery. He may be 
unmoved because he has no sense of danger. 
Or his nerves may be upset by apprehensions 
of peril, and his constancy of mind be wholly 
unshaken. 

Valor is supposed to have all the best qual- 
ities of both bravery and courage. It glories 
in risking all upon a just occasion. It looks 



COUEAGE. 435 

far ahead and is wise. But its counsels would 
be madness in the timid. Men are never val- 
iant except as they are moved by the higher 
aims and passions of our nature. No man can 
be valiant for a trifle or a sordid end. The 
love of country, the love of truth, the love of 
God, or something high and noble must always 
actuate the valiant man. 

There is also, in strict propriety of lan- 
guage, a difference between courage smd forti- 
tude. Courage faces and resists danger ; forti- 
tude endures pain. Courage is sometimes used 
in a bad sense; fortitude never. Courage is 
for action ; fortitude for suffering. In this 
sense fortitude differs little from constancy and 
patience. Yet by many good writers these 
words are used interchangeably. Indeed all 
these words are at times used in a good sense 
and synonymously. In this chapter the word 
courage will be used, and in a good sense only. 
There is a Christian grace of that name. It 
is of great value. It is the quality Peter points 
out when he says, "Add to faith virtue J^ So 
highly did the ancient Greeks and Latins es- 
teem courage, that often in their classics the 
word by which they express it is the word by 
which they express the idea of virtue gener- 



436 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ally ; as if they would assert that it was either 
the sum or the index of all virtue. In the 
sense of courage, it is by many held that Peter 
uses it in the words just quoted. Merely to 
believe is not the whole of our work. To our 
faith we must add courage. We have great 
need of this grace. But like all other Chris- 
tian virtues, courage has its counterfeits. It 
is therefore very important for us soundly to 
discriminate. True courage is wise and calcu- 
lates. It thinks soberly, and 

"Is not the appetite 
Of formidable things, nor inconsult 
Rashness ; but virtue fighting for a truth. " 

It has that prudence which foreseeth the evil, 
and hideth itself. It looks well to its ways. 
It chooses the best ends and the best methods 
of attaining them. It never cries, "There is no 
danger," but is suspicious of mere appearances. 
It admits the real difficulties in its way, and 
provides for their removal. It is full of wis- 
dom and forethought. In this it wholly differs 
from fanaticism, which is blind and furious, 
and commonly blind in proportion to its fury. 
The Bible everywhere commends '*a sound 
mind." It is as truly at war with folly as with 
sin. Would you have a courage quite daunt- 



COURAGE. 437 

less ? Choose such a course of life as Grod un- 
questionably approves, such a course as 3^ou 
know you will yourself approve when standing 
before God in judgment. Thus you will al- 
ways be supported by your own understand- 
ing and conscience. Having no mental mis- 
givings, you will not grow pale at the shaking 
of a leaf or of a spear. This true courage seeks 
worthy objects and noble aims, and 

" Is seen in great exploits 
That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides; 
All else is towering frenzy and distraction." 

It is not low and mean in its aims and plans. 
It is expansive in its desires. It lives for 
God's glory and man's happiness. 

True Christian courage is also humble. It 
vaunteth not itself, and is not puffed up. It 
greatly boasteth in God, but not at all in the 
flesh. It emptieth itself, but finds its fulness 
in God. Just so surely as one trusteth in 
himself that he is strong and can do exploits, 
just so surely is he a poor, weak, cowardly 
thing. Look at Peter. He cries out, " Though 
all men forsake thee, yet will not I." It is but 
a few hours till he denies his Lord with oaths. 
Boasters are like clouds and wind without rain. 
When we lay hold on God, we are girded with 



438 VITAL GODLINESS. 

omnipotence; but when we are left to our- 
selves we are as weak as water. 

Evans says, ' ' Courage in general is a tem- 
per which disposes a man to do brave and 
commendable actions without being daunted 
at the appearance of dangers and difficulties in 
the way." 

Buck says, ''Courage is active fortitude, 
that meets dangers and attempts to repel 
them." 

Seneca, whose mind was unenlightened by 
Christianity, yet says, "Courage is properly 
the contempt of hazards according to reason; 
but that to run into danger from mere passion, 
is rather a daring and brutal fierceness than 
an honorable courage." 

Cicero, in some respects the greatest of the 
heathen philosophers, says, "That sort of cour- 
age which disregards the rules of justice, and 
is displayed not for the public good, but for 
private selfish ends, is altogether blamable; 
and so far from being a part of true virtue, it 
is a piece of the most barbarous inhumanity." 

Plato says, "As that sort of knowledge 
which is not directed by the rules of justice, 
ought rather to have the name of design and 
subtlety than wisdom and prudence; just so 



COURAGE. 439 

that bold and adventurous mind which is hur- 
ried on by the stream of its own passions, and 
not for the good of the public, should rather 
have the nwaiQ fool-hardy and daring, than val- 
iant and courageous." 

The Duke of Sully says, ''That which arms 
us against our friends and countrymen, in con- 
tempt of all laws, as well divine as human, is 
but a brutal fierceness, madness, and real pu- 
sillanimity." 

Another says, ''That hardy rashness which 
many account valor is the companion of igno- 
rance ; and of all rashness, boldness to sin is 
the most witless and foolish." 

Addison says, "Courage that grows from 
constitution very often forsakes a man when 
he has occasion for it; and when it is only a 
kind of instinct in the soul, it breaks out on all 
occasions without judgment or discretion; but 
that courage which arises from a sense of duty 
and from a fear of offending Him that made 
us, always acts in a uniform manner and ac- 
cording to the dictates of right reason." He 
also says courage "is that heroic spirit inspired 
by the conviction of our cause being just, and 
that Grod will not forsake us." 

Mr. Burke says, " The only real courage is 



4A0 VITAL GODLINESS. 

generated by the fear of Grod. He who fears 
Grod fears nothing else." Indeed the Scrip- 
tures justify the remark that no man has true 
courage except so far as he is a good man. 
' ' The righteous are as bold as a lion ; but the 
wicked flee when no man pursueth." 

"Stand but your ground, your ghostly foes wiU fly: 
Hell trembles at a beaven-directed eye. 
Choose rather to defend than to assail; 
Self-confidence will in the conflict fail. 
When you are challenged, you may dangers meet — 
True courage is a flxed, not sudden heat ; 
Is always humble, lives in self-distrust, 
And will itself into no danger thrust. 
Devote yourself to God, and you wiU find 
God fights the battles of a ^ill resigned. 
Love Jesus. Love will no base fear endure. 
Love Jesus, and of conquest rest secure." Bp. Ken. 

Collier says, ' ' True courage is the result of 
reasoning. A brave mind is always impreg- 
nable. Resolution lies more in the head than 
in the veins, and a just sense of honor and of 
infamy, of duty and of religion, will carry us 
further than all the force of mechanism." 

From all this it appears that true courage 
is calm, rational, firm, controlled by a sense of 
justice, free from raving and madness, from 
hatred and malignity. It is truth, justice, and 
honor sitting on a throne of virtue. Because 
it fears God, it has not that fear of man which 



COUEAGE. 441 

bringeth a snare. Trials do but evince and 
evoke it. ''True courage never exerts itself 
so much as when it is most pressed ; and it is 
then we most enjoy the feast of a good con- 
science when we stand in the greatest need of 
its support." 

Dymond well says, "The courage which 
Christianity requires, is to brayery what forti- 
tude is to daring — an effort of the mental prin- 
ciples rather than of the spirits. It is a calm, 
steady determinateness of purpose, that will 
not be diverted by solicitation, or awed by 
fear." And he very properly cites as an illus- 
tration of his meaning those immortal words of 
Paul: ''Behold, I go bound in the spirit unto 
Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall 
befall me there ; save that the Holy Ghost 
witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds 
and aflSictions abide me. But none of these 
things move me, neither count I my life dear 
unto myself." 

So much for the general nature of courage. 
It may be either active or passive. Active 
courage leads to bold deeds ; passive courage 
is not moved by fears in times of peril and 
suffering. By active courage Jonathan and 
his armor-bearer captured the strong-hold of 

19* 



442 VITAL GODLINESS. 

the Philistines; by passive courage Joseph 
sustained himself in the dungeons of Egypt. 
By the former David performed the great ex- 
ploits of killing the lion, the bear, and the 
giant of Gath; by the latter he endured the 
contumely of Shimei as he was retreating from 
the holy city. Daniel was passively coura- 
geous when in the lions^ den ; he was actively 
courageous when, in unfaltering tone and with 
awful solemnity, he pronounced sentence of 
death on Belshazzar. Active courage bestirs 
itself, and uses all its resources to avert, re- 
move, or diminish evils ; passive courage defies 
the worst evils that can come, and preserves 
equanimity in the midst of convulsions, disas- 
ters, revolutions, and death in all its frightful 
forms. The principle of all courage is the 
same. He who is possessed of the genuine 
virtue in one set of circumstances, will not 
want it when circumstances change. 

Perhaps no historical book of equal length 
gives more instruction as to the nature and ob- 
ligation of active courage than that of Nehe- 
miah. It contains an account of one of the 
greatest and most difficult enterprises ever ac- 
complished. There was peril at every stepj 
yet Nehemiah was never daunted. "Shall 



COURAGE. 443 

such a man as I flee ?" was the short but stern 
reply he gave to those who would tempt him 
to cowardice. But one must read the whole 
book with care in order to understand the he- 
roism of that great governor. Yerily he ob- 
tained a good report, and on the best grounds. 
Leigh ton well says, ''It is the battle tries the 
soldier, and the storm the pilot. How would 
it appear that Christians can be not only pa- 
tient but cheerful in poverty, in disgrace and 
temptations and persecutions, if it were not 
often their lot to meet with them ?" It is a 
great thing for us when we know our calling, 
and understand why we are made to suffer 
severely. 

One of our capital errors is, that we often 
fall into a dreamy state, and forget that life is 
full of severe realities. 

"I slept, and dreamed that life was beauty ; 
I woke, and found that life was duty. 
Was then thy dream a shadowy lie ? 
Toil on, sad heart, courageously, 
And thou shalt find thy dream to be 
A noonday light and truth to thee." 

Let every man say with Romaine, "My 
time is short ; I must be up and doing ; I must 
go briskly on with my work, leaving it to my 
Lord to find me strength for it and success in 



44A VITAL GODLINESS. 

it. His blessing I expect here and for ever ; 
not for any thing I have done ; and yet 1 would 
labor as hard as if heaven was to be the re- 
ward of my labors." True Christian courage is 
loudly demanded in our day. Every duty may 
bring it to the test. 

It is not possible for us to be too entirely 
and intrepidly devoted to the service of Grod. 
Yet we cannot be too guarded as to our motives 
in undertaking any service for Christ. Let us 
not seek our own ease, our own honor or ad- 
vantage ; let us not be moved by any unholy 
bitterness, nor by party-spirit; let us not fol- 
low blind impulses, nor indulge in temporary 
excitements; let us not neglect the duties of 
the closet for those of the platform ; but still 
let us boldly and earnestly serve the Lord day 
and night. 

Important as is a stirring, active courage, 
a passive courage is no less so. This we com- 
monly need in all our Christian course. The 
world is never pleased with the people of God. 
The son of the bond-woman still strives with 
the son of the free- woman. Opposition to all 
that is good is stern, instant, and determined. 
Nothing but divine grace can ever enable a 
child of Grod to endure the fearful hostility of 



COUEAGE. 445 

the enemy. Our Saviour's word is still ful- 
filled: ''I am come to set a man at variance 
against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against 
her mother-in-law ; and a man's foes shall be 
they of his own household." The offence of 
the cross has not ceased. It never can cease 
but by the conversion of the soul to God. "If 
ye were of the world, the world would love his 
own ; but because I have chosen you out of the 
world, therefore the world hateth you.'^ Men 
of the world have no better temper towards 
Christianity than when they crucified its Au- 
thor, and cast his followers to the wild beasts. 
He who would be a Christian must be so at the 
risk of all he counts dear in this life. The 
world will heap odium upon him, will vex his 
righteous soul from day to day, and if possible, 
turn him away from his tender walk with God. 
Of three devices the enemies of the saints are 
very fond : one is seduction ; another is scorn- 
ing ; the third is bloody persecution. The 
first is used at all times. To seduce God's 
people from the path of rectitude is the busi- 
ness of thousands. Whether they really de- 
sign it or not, their principles and their prac- 
tices are alike evil and corrupting. They are 



446 VITAL GODLINESS. 

always spreading snares for the feet of the un- 
wary. They use every blandishing art. They 
allure by means of winning manners. They 
use cunning craftiness. They profess great 
friendship for the very objects of their arts; 
but they regard Christian principle as unnec- 
essarily strict and severe. They glory in not 
being bound by the unbending laws of Grod's 
people ; yet their example makes them uneasy. 
Besides, having no love to God and holiness, 
they cannot endure the exemplary life of con- 
sistent Christians. Yet they are not prepared 
to show all the venom of the adversary, and 
so they satisfy themselves with attempts to 
seduce God's servants. 

Others go further, break friendship with 
consistent professors, affect to esteem them 
fanatics, and vent upon them the utmost viru- 
lence of their scorn. They practise those 
^' cruel mockings " of which Paul speaks ; cruel 
mockings, than which nothing is harder to be 
borne with an unrujffled spirit. Many take 
delight in subjecting to all manner of mortifi- 
cation those whose minds seem made up to 
walk in the paths of scriptural piety. In every 
age, the world has exhausted its vocabulary of 
abuse against the people of God. Nazarene/ 



COUEAGE. 447 

G-alilean, obstinate, precisian, Puritan, Lollard, 
enthusiast, fanatic, are but a few of the terms 
of reproach used by the world towards con- 
sistent Christians. I have known a man told 
to his face that he was a fanatic, because he 
would not go with a man of the world to view 
his earthly possessions on the Lord's-day, and 
he professing a warm friendship all the time. 
There is cruelty in the scorning of the scorn- 
ers. They delight in their trade. They love 
to afflict the heritage of Grod. They shoot out 
the lip. 

When seductions and scornings fail, the 
world will, as it can, try more formal persecu- 
tions. For three centuries together, at the 
first preaching of Christianity, the blood of the 
martyrs hardly ceased to flow. Although the 
laws of some countries, and the public senti- 
ment of the world, do much oppose bloody per- 
secutions in our day, yet even to this present 
time dungeons and death are the portion of 
some of Grod's people. It is but a short time 
since in one year eight thousand persons were 
by edict doomed to death on the island of Mad- 
agascar, because they professed to love the 
Lord Jesus Christ. The Inquisition still has 
its dungeons and its tortures and secret deaths 



us VITAL GODLINESS. 

and burials. A large body of men in the nom- 
inally Christian world are by profession trained 
to regard themselves as doing God service 
when they violate all the laws of charity tow- 
ards those who differ from them in religious 
doctrine and practice. Whether much of the 
blood of the saints is likely again to be shed 
on the earth, is a point on which good men dif- 
fer. But prophecy does seem to foretell days 
of great trial yet to come on the church, and 
that before her final triumph and universal 
dominion. Should that day of trial come, who 
is prepared? who is full of courage? who is 
ready to be offered upon the sacrifice and ser- 
vice of the church's faith? Such a day will 
demand the faith and fortitude of martyrs. 

That many cherish the principles of perse- 
cutors is evident, by the malice they show in 
many forms, and by their open, bold avowals. 
The Shepherd of the Yalley, a Roman-catholic 
paper in our country, says, ''If the Catholics 
ever gain, as they will do, though at a distant 
day, an immense majority, religious freedom 
is at an end." It also says, " Heresy and un- 
belief are crimes ; that is the whole of the mat- 
ter ; and in Christian countries, as Italy and 
Spain for instance, where all the people are 



COURAGE. 449 

Catholic, and where the Catholic religion is an 
essential part of the public law of the land, 
they will be punished as other crimes/' 

This is but the echo of the dogmas of Rom- 
ish doctrines for centuries past. Let not the 
supine wrap themselves up in the cloak of indif- 
ference, and say that there is no danger. Ev- 
ery bishop and archbishop in that apostate 
communion is a sworn persecutor to the utmost 
of his power. Ungodly men everywhere may 
suddenly have all restraints removed, and then 
they will be wild beasts in the heritage of 
God. 

If any would have examples of high Chris- 
tian courage both in doing and suffering the 
will of Grod, let them study the history of 
the church in all ages. Moses, Joshua, Gid- 
eon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Ehud, Ste- 
phen, Paul, Peter, and John, in inspired his- 
tory, with scores and hundreds in later ages, 
stand forth as bright patterns of the grace 
here commended. They ''subdued kingdoms, 
wrought righteousness, obtained promises, 
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the vi- 
olence of fire, escaped the edge of the ST7ord, 
out of weakness were made strong, waxed val- 
iant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the 



450 VITAL GODLINESS. 

aliens. Women received their dead to life 
again: and others were tortured, not accepting 
deliverance; that they might obtain a better 
resurrection : and others had trial of cruel 
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of 
bonds and imprisonment : they were stoned, 
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were 
slain with the sword : they wandered about in 
sheep-skins and goat-skins ; being destitute, 
afflicted, tormented ; (of whom the world was 
not worthy :) they wandered in deserts and in 
mountains, and in dens and caves of the 
earth.'' 

Nor were examples of great courage con- 
fined to the days of inspiration. The pious 
Flavel has collected several pleasing instances 
of this grace. When Yalens the emperor in 
a great rage threatened Basil the Great with 
banishment and torture, he replied, ^'As to 
the first, I little regard it, for the earth is the 
Lord's and the fulness thereof ; as for tortures, 
what can they do upon such a poor thin body 
as mine, nothing but skin and bone ?" Luther 
had such a courage in the cause of truth, that 
in his last sickness he expressed sorrow that 
''he must carry his blood to the grave," and 
so not be permitted to die a martyr's death. 



COUEAGE. 451 

Tertullian testifies of the Christians of his day, 
''Our women and children — not to speak of 
men — overcome their tormentors, and the fire 
cannot fetch so much as a sigh from them." 

In conclusion, take the following principles 
and observations for guidance in this duty. 

The Scriptures enforce courage both by 
precepts and examples. 

Our circumstances urgently demand that 
we should possess and practise this grace. 

It is not probable that we shall have cour- 
age in any high degree unless we set a high 
value upon it. 

Mere natural courage is of no use in ena- 
bling us to resist spiritual foes and fears. We 
must therefore seek true courage by faith in 
Christ Jesus. He who is readily discouraged 
cannot rise to great eminence in any thing, 
surely not in the divine life. 

Scriptural' modes of arguing are the best 
to inspire courage. They are such as these : 
"Because I live, ye shall live also;" "As thy 
days, so shall thy strength be;" "I will never 
leave thee, nor forsake thee;" "If God be for 
us, who can be against us VI 

All true spiritual heroism is based in the 
precious blood and righteousness of Jesus 



452 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Christ. ''Time will neither wear out the guilt 
of sin, nor blot out the records of conscience." 
But the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin. 
It speaks better things than the blood of Abel. 
His righteousness is enough for us all.. 

Nor should we hesitate to look at any 
thing in the most serious and solemn manner. 
-'Those who cannot bear to hear their duty, may 
prepare soon to hear their doom." Those who 
will not permit their thoughts to travel beyond 
the bounds of time, will be, must be greatly 
surprised by eternal things. The thoughtless 
and frivolous must expect eternity to flash 
damnation in their consciences. It is mourn- 
ful that in a world like ours it should be said 
of but one here and there, "He is a thoughtful 
man." It is as shocking as it is dangerous 
for those who possess the powers and respon- 
sibilities of men to aim at no higher end than 
is attained b}^ the brutes that perish. Those 
who would grow wiser and better, must not 
turn away their minds from any subject sim- 
pl}^because it excites painful emotions. The 
thoughtless die as soon as others — not as safely. 

Would you have dauntless courage in all 
coming duration, die unto sin, hold fast the 
covenant and oath of God, and let Christ be 



COUEAGE. 453 

all in all to you. He that would not be filled 
with shame, must first count the cost of all he 
undertakes. 

Grod's word and Spirit are always on the 
side of truth and duty, and may be infallibly 
relied on. 

The enemy has no arts nor devices that 
have not been thwarted a thousand times. He 
can be beaten. He has been vanquished. 

Never do evil that good may come. Choose 
your weapons. Maintain a good conscience. 

Pray to know the depths of Satan and the 
cunning sleight of men, whereby they lie in 
wait to deceive. If it were possible, they 
would deceive the very elect. 

Divine desertion will make cowards of the 
bravest, fools of the wisest. As soon as the 
Spirit of the Lord deserted Saul, an evil spirit 
rested on him. 

Leave character as well as soul and body 
in the hands of Grod. Clamor and falsehood 
cannot harm you if truth is your buckler and 
God your refuge. 

Set your face as a flint. Trust in the Lord, 
and do good. "Nothing but cowardice ever 
finally lost the victory in the cause of God.^' 



454 VITAL GODLINESS. 

CHAPTBE XXI. 

CONTENTMENT. 

Our libraries abound with treatises on con- 
tentment. Some of them are written with 
great ability. Nor has there ever been much 
formal disputation among writers on morals 
respecting the obligation and excellence of this 
attainment. It produces results so happy, and 
is enforced by so many urgent reasons, that a 
man must be particularly blinded before he 
can regard discontent as either lawful or slight- 
ly criminal. The difficulty therefore is not so 
much in the want of good rules and strong rea- 
sons for guiding us into a state of contentment, 
as in the deep-rooted aversion of our hearts to 
a duty which requires our submission to the 
will of God. "We hnow better than we do. 
Seeing the right, we pursue the wrong. We 
smile at the folly, or frown at the wickedness 
of discontent in others, and then follow their 
example. 

But what is contentment ; and how may it 
be known from evil states of mind somewhat 
resembling it ? Contentment is not careless- 



CONTENTMENT. 455 

ness or prodigality. It is not obtuseness of 
sensibility. It is a disposition of mind in 
which we rest satisfied with the will of God 
respecting our temporal affairs, without hard 
thoughts or hard speeches concerning his 
allotments, and without any sinful desire for a 
change. It submissively receives what is 
given. It thankfully enjoys present mercies. 
It leaves the future in the hand of unerring 
wisdom. Nor is there any thing in true con- 
tentment to make men satisfied with the world 
as a portion or as a permanent abode. The 
most contented person may long for the day 
when Christ shall call him home. He may, 
like Paul, be in a strait betwixt two, not 
knowing whether to desire to abide in the 
flesh for the sake of others, or to depart and 
be with Christ, which is far better. God never 
required any man to be willing to live here 
for ever. Nor is there any thing stoical in 
contentment. It is not bluntness of feeling. 
True religion does not make men dream that 
a prison is a palace, nor make them reckless 
of their own happiness. Eefined sensibility is 
promoted by true religion. 

We may form some correct idea of con- 
tentment by considering its opposites. Of 



456 VITAL GODLINESS. 

these, one of the most prominent is envy, than 
which there is not a more vile, nor a more 
violent passion. It is full of deadly malice. 
When a man's heart grows sick at the superior 
worldly success of others, and hates them on 
that account, he is not far from ruin. Evans 
says, ''Envy is an infallible mark of discon- 
tent. Duty to Grod, and charity to our neigh- 
bor, would induce us to take pleasure in the 
welfare of others, whether we immediately 
share in it or not." If thine eye is evil tow- 
ards thy neighbor because Grod is good to him, 
it is proof that thou quarrelest with Provi- 
dence. This is the more inexcusable, because 
Grod has expressl}^ informed us that men of the 
world have their portion in this life. He has 
provided for his friends a portion better than 
was ever enjoyed on earth by any man, even 
by Adam before his fall. And if Grod should 
give to one of his children more than he gives 
to you, has he not a right to do what he will 
with his own ? 

Contentment is also opposed to corroding 
care about our worldly condition. The com- 
mand of the New Testament is, ''Be careful 
for nothing; but in every thing by praj^er 
and supplication with thanksgiving let your 



CONTENTMENT. 467 

requests be made known unto God." Phil. 
4 : 6. Similar to this is the exhortation, ''Cast 
all your care upon him, for he careth for you." 
1 Pet. 5:7. To the same purport spoke our 
Lord: "Take no thought for your life, what ye 
shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for 
your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the 
life more than meat, and the body than rai- 
ment?" Matt. 6:25. It is of the greatest 
importance to our peace and usefulness, that 
we settle it in our minds that all fretting care 
about the things of this life is both a sin and a 
folly. It is to these immoderate cares that 
our Lord refers when he says, "Take heed to 
yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be 
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, 
and cares of this life, and so that day come 
upon you unawares." Luke 21 : 34. Seest 
thou a man eager after the things of time, be- 
hold one in great peril — peril heightened by 
his success. Our hearts are very deceitful. Jo- 
nah may be too much taken up with his gourd, 
as well as Solomon with his vast public works. 
Contentment is opposed to covetousness. 
' ' There are two words in the G-reek Testament 
which may be rendered covetousness. The 
one literally signifies the love of money ; the 

vital QodlineM. 20 



458 VITAL GODLINESS. 

other a desire of more, in Eph. 4 : 19 ren- 
dered greediness. These two senses are coin- 
cident, for no man desires more of that which 
he does not love ; and as he that loveth silver 
cannot be satisfied with the silver which he 
already possesses, he will of course desire 
more. To both of these contentment is the 
opposite. It loves not inordinately what it 
has, nor is greedy for more. So says the 
Scripture: "Let your conversation," your life, 
your behavior, "be without covetousness, and 
be content with such things as ye have.'' Heb. 
15: 5. "Having food and raiment, let us be 
therewith content." 1 Tim. 6 : 8. What a 
man parched with the thirst of dropsy needs 
is not more water, but more health. It is as 
impossible to remove the restlessness of a cov- 
etous mind by heaping wealth upon it, as to 
extinguish fire by pouring oil upon it. It is a 
great thing to learn that "a man's life's consist- 
eth not in the abundance of the things which 
he possesseth." Luke 12 : 15. So that "if a 
man is not content in that state he is in, he 
will not be content in any state he would be 
in." Evans says, "We see people arriving 
at one enjoyment after another, which once 
seemed the top of their ambition; and yet so 



CONTENTMENT, 459 

far from contentment, that their desires grow 
faster than their substance, and they are as 
eager to improve a good estate when they are 
become masters of it, as if they were still 
drudging for food and raiment.'^ '' Beware of 
covetousness." 

Contentment is also the opposite of pride. 
"Humility is the mother of contentment.'^ 
''They that deserve nothing should be content 
with any thing." When we become lifted up 
with pride, and think we deserve something 
good at Grod's hands, it is impossible to satisfy 
us. But with the lowly is wisdom, quietness, 
gentleness, contentment. He who expects 
nothing, because he deserves nothing, is sure 
to be satisfied with the treatment he receives 
at God's hands. So that "a little that a right- 
eous man hath is better than the riches of 
many wicked;" for ''the wicked, through the 
pride of his countenance, will not seek after 
Grod." The proud is like a bullock unaccus- 
tomed to the yoke. He is turbulent and fiery. 
He alienates friends ; he makes enemies. He 
has much trouble and sorrow where the hum- 
ble pass quietly along. Pride and content- 
ment do not go together. 

Neither do contentment and ambition at 



460 VITAL GODLINESS. 

all agree. " Seekest thou great things for thy- 
self? I say unto thee, Seek them not." Our 
actual wants are not many ; but the ambitious 
create a thousand demands, which it is hard, 
if not impossible to meet. If men are bent on 
gratifying the strong desires of a wicked am- 
bition, it will require more resources than any 
mortal possesses to meet the half of them. If 
a wise man cannot bring his condition to his 
mind, he will honestly endeavor to bring his 
mind to his condition. But this the ambitious 
will not do. He will be content with nothing 
gained, because each elevation widens his hori- 
zon, and gives him a view of something else 
which he greatly longs for, and so he is tossed 
from vanity to vanity, a stranger to solid 
peace. Art thou ambitious? then thou art 
thine own tormentor. 

Contentment is opposed to murmurings and 
repinings against Grod's providence, and dwells 
with her sisters gratitude, submission, resig- 
nation. Like Hezekiah, she exclaims concern- 
ing air God's orderings, ''Good is the word of 
the Lord." Isa. 39 : 8. This is a great point. 
If you can say nothing clearly to the glory of 
God, it is wise to be dumb and not open your 
mouth. Psa. 38:13; 39:2. 



CONTENTMENT. 461 

Contentment is also opposed to distrust of 
God, and to despondency respecting the order- 
ings of his providence. Instead of waiting on 
the Lord, and relying on him for strength of 
heart, how many forebode ill from all that 
occurs to them, or is anticipated by them. 
They have little if any cheerfulness. Their 
souls are never as mount Zion, which cannot 
be removed, but abideth for ever. Apprehen- 
sion takes the place of confidence. True con- 
tentment will break up this state of things. It 
will settle, confirm, and establish the soul. 

The proper fruits of contentment are many, 
pleasant, and easily discerned. 

1. It begets cheerfulness and thankfulness 
of speech. He who is always singing dirges, 
and has no songs of praise ; he who is perpet- 
ually filling the ear of friendship with his com- 
plaints, and has nothing to say of loving-kind- 
ness, is not blessed with true contentment. It 
tells a different tale. It does- not charge God 
foolishly. If it sings of judgment, it sings also 
of mercy. 

2. True contentment makes men conscien- 
tious and exact in religiously performing their 
duties to all around them. They trust in the 
Lord, and do good. They do good to all men. 



462 VITAL GODLINESS. 

especially to the household of faith. If God 
takes away one friend, they will endeavor more 
meekly and assiduously to render all that is 
due to those who remain. If he takes half 
one's worldly goods, the residue is more than 
ever conscientiously employed for his glory. 
If such cannot do as they wish, they will do as 
Providence permits. 

3. The truly contented will not resort to 
wicked or to doubtful expedients for relieving 
their own wants and distresses. They had 
rather suffer wrong than do wrong. To them 
want is not so bad as ill-gotten wealth. They 
prefer to endure a hard lot rather than to drive 
a hard bargain. Stealing, cheating, wild spec- 
ulation, or any fraud, is to them worse than 
poverty. They go not down to Egypt nor 
over to Assyria for help, when they have been 
told to trust in Jehovah alone. They are will- 
ing to be rid of want or straits, but not at the 
expense of a good conscience. 

4. If the truly contented have been diso- 
bliged by men, they are not malignant, but 
benevolent towards them. They look upon 
their enemies as God's hand and God's sword, 
the rod of his. anger, the scourge of his people. 
Their enemies may be violent and unreason- 



CONTENTMENT. 463 

able, and so wholly culpable, but they do not 
forget who has said, ''Yengeance is mine; I 
will repay." All is committed to unerring 
wisdom and eternal love. 

The matters of discontent are chiefly such 
as relate to wealth, honor, or pleasure. These 
are the objects of both lawful and unlawful 
care and desire. It is quite reasonable that 
we should be contented in regard to each of 
them. 

1. As to wealth. The judgment of the 
sober, and especially of the wise and good of 
all ages, might reasonably be expected to have 
some influence over us to check our discontent 
on this point. Sages and saints, teachers from 
earth and teachers sent from God have united 
in bearing a solemn testimony against the love 
of money, and in favor of contentment with 
our lot. Hear their words : 

Socrates: '' Content is natural wealth.'' 

Democritus : ''If thou dost not desire much, 
a little will seem to thee an abundance." 

Horace : ' ' Care and thirst for more attend 
a growing fortune." 

Woolstoncraft : /'The middle rank contains 
most virtue and abilities." 

Clarkson: "There is no greater calamity 



464 VITAL GODLINESS. 

than that of leaving children an affluent inde- 
pendence." 

Dymond: ''The most rational, the wisest, 
the best portion of mankind, belong to the class 
who possess neither poverty nor riches." 

Wilberforce : " A much looser code of mor- 
als commonly prevails among the rich than in 
the lower and middling orders of society." 

Lord Bacon: " Certainly great riches have 
sold more men than they have bought out. As 
baggage is to an army, so are riches to virtue. 
It hindereth the march, yea, and the care of it 
sometimes loseth or disturbeth the victory." 

Mrs. Hannah More: "It is to be feared 
that the general tendency of rank, and espe- 
cially of riches, is to withdraw the heart from 
spiritual exercises." 

Mason: "To have a portion in the world is 
a mercy ; but to have the world for a portion 
is a misery." " We must answer for our rich- 
es; but our riches cannot answer for us." "If 
the world be our portion here, hell will be our 
portion hereafter." 

Johnson : 

"Wealtli heaped on wealth nor truth nor safety buys, 
The dangers gather as the treasures rise." 

When his vast estates were confiscated for 



CONTENTMENT. ^65 

his adherence to God's truth, the Marquis of 
Yieo said, "Their gold and silver perish with 
them who count all the wealth of the world 
worth one hour's communion with Christ." 
Pollok: 

" Gold many hunted, sweat and bled for gold ; 
Wasted all night, and labored all the day. 
And what was this allurement, dost thou ask ? 
A dust dug from the bowels of the earth, 
Which, being cast into the fire, came out 
A shining thing, that fools admired, and called 
A god ; and in devout and humble phght 
Before it kneeled, the greater to the less ; 
And on its altar sacrificed ease, peace, 
Truth, faith, integrity, good conscience, friends, 
Love, charity, benevolence." 

Bunyan: "Nothing more hinders a soul 
from coming to Christ than a vain love of the 
world ; and till a soul is freed from it, it can 
never have a true love for God." 

Beveridge: "There is one piece of folly 
which all mankind are naturally guilty of, and 
that is desire of riches, whereby men love and 
long for fine houses and lands, and silver and 
gold, and such like things. Just as we may 
have sometimes seen an idiot pleasing himself 
with having his pocket full of stones or dirt ; or 
rather, as distracted persons desire swords or 
such like weapons, whereby to destroy them- 

20* 



466 VITAL GODLINESS. 

selves; so others that have lost their senses 
and the right use of their reason, nothing will 
serve them but a great deal of wealth, howso- 
ever they come by it, and therefore they go 
through a thousand temptations and dangers 
to get it ; and when they have got it, what then? 
Then they are in a thousand times worse con- 
dition than they were before. '^ 

Eichard Baxter shows the malignity of the 
sin of worldliness in several particulars. ' ' 1. It 
is a sin of deliberation. 2. It is a sin of choice 
set up against our chief interest. 3. It is idol- 
atry. 4. It is contempt of heaven, when it 
must be neglected and a miserable world pre- 
ferred. 5. It shows that unbelief prevails in 
the heart. 6. It is a debasing of the soul of 
man. 7. It is a perverting of the very drift 
of a man's life. 8. It is a perverting of God's 
creatures to an end and use clean contrary to 
that which they were made and given for." 

Owen : ' ' Learn to be contented with your 
lot. He is wise also who took a view of it and 
measured it and found it just commensurate to 
your good ; had he known that a foot's breadth 
more had been needful, you would have had 
it." 

Thomas Scott: ^'Reliance on increasing 



CONTENTMENT. 467 

riches, however obtained, is idolatry, and to- 
tally inconsistent with the life of faith." 

Arndt: ''Eiches are like a stream, which 
soon flows to a person, and may also soon flow 
away." 

Home: *' Of all things here below, wealth 
is that on which poor deluded man is chiefly 
tempted, even to the loss of life, to place his 
confidence; and when 'riches increase,' it 
proves a hard task for the human heart to 
keep its affections sufiiciently detached from 
them." 

Such are the views of some of the wits, 
poets, philosophers, statesmen, nobles, and di- 
vines who have warned us of the folly of lov- 
ing gain. These men spoke from their natural 
sense, or were guided by religious principle j 
but they were all uninspired. When we open 
the oracles of God, they speak in a manner 
still more clear and solemn. 

King David, who had personally tried both 
humble life and great wealth, said, "A little 
that a righteous man hath, is better than the 
treasures of many wicked." ''If riches in- 
crease, set not your heart upon them." Like 
unto his is the testimony of his son. 

Solomon says, " He that is greedy of gain, 



468 VITAL GODLINESS. 

trouble th his own house." ''Riches profit not 
in the day of wrath." "He that trusteth in 
his riches shall fall." "There is that maketh 
himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that 
maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." 
"A good name is rather to be chosen than 
great riches." "Labor not to be rich: for 
riches certainly make themselves wings ; they 
fly away as an eagle towards heaven." "He 
that maketh haste to be rich shall not be inno- 
cent." 

Ezekiel says, "Behold, this was the ini- 
quity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of 
bread, and abundance of idleness was in her 
and in her daughters, neither did she strength- 
en the hand of the poor and needy." 

Agur : ' ' Two things have I required of 
thee ; deny me them not before I die : Remove 
far from me vanity and lies ; give me neither 
poverty nor riches; feed me with food con- 
venient for me ; lest I be full, and deny thee, 
and say, Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor 
and steal, and take the name of my Grod in 
vain." 

John: "Love not the world, neither the 
things that are in the world. If any man love 
the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 



CONTENTMENT. 469 

James: *'Go to now, ye rich men, weep 
and howl for your miseries that shall come 
upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and 
your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold 
and silver is cankered; and the rust of them 
shall be a witness against you, and shall eat 
your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped 
treasure together for the last days.'^ 

Paul: "They that will be rich fall into 
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruc- 
tion and perdition. For the love of money is 
the root of all evil ; which while some coveted 
after, they have pierced themselves through 
with many sorrows." " Charge them that are 
rich in this world, that they be not high-mind- 
ed, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the 
living God, who giveth us richly all things to 
enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in 
good works, ready to distribute, willing to 
communicate ; laying up for themselves a good 
foundation against the time to come, that they 
may lay hold on eternal life." 

But of all the teachers ever sent by God to 
men, his dear Son spoke the most fully and 
clearly respecting riches. Jesus Christ said, 
** It is more blessed to give than to receive.'' 



470 VITAL GODLINESS. 

''Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves break through and steal; but 
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves do not break through nor steal : 
for where your treasure is, there will your 
heart be also." "Ye cannot serve Grod and 
mammon." ''Seek ye first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness, and all these things 
shall be added unto you." "Take heed, and 
beware of covetousness." " Seek ye not what 
ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be 
ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do 
the G-entiles seek after ; and your Father know- 
est that ye have need of these things." "It 
is easier for a camel to go through a needle's 
eye than for a rich man to enter into the king- 
dom of Grod." "Make to yourselves friends 
of the mammon of unrighteousness ; that when 
ye fail they may receive you into everlasting 
habitations. If ye have not been faithful in 
the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to 
you the true riches?" "The cares of this 
world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the 
word." "Blessed be ye poor; for yours is 
the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that 



CONTENTMENT. 471 

hunger now; for ye shall be filled. Blessed 
are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh. 
But woe unto you that are rich; for ye have 
received your consolation. Woe unto you 
that are full ; for ye shall hunger. Woe unto 
you that laugh now; for ye shall mourn and 
weep." 

Thus spoke the Messiah, the one Mediator 
between God and man. Shall not we be wiser 
for all these instructions ? The Author of our 
religion was the only sinless being ever born 
of woman. He lived and died in poverty. 
He knows, and he has felt, the humiliation of 
dependence. 

God has greatly honored virtuous poverty 
in every age, as the history of science, of liter- 
ature, of philosophy, of poetry, and of piety in 
every country shows. He takes the poor from 
the dunghill, and sets him among princes. 
Though poverty is no virtue, yet most of the 
striking examples of virtue have been from hum- 
ble life. Poverty brought on by indolence or 
waste is a disgrace, because it is a punishment ; 
but wealth is the great corrupter of all who 
have it, and have not with it unusual grace. 

A few of our race live and labor, that they 
may have the means of doing good to otherSc 



472 VITAL GODLINESS. 

This is scriptural: ''Let him that stole steal 
no more ; but rather let him labor, working 
with his own hands the thing that is good, that 
he may have to give to him that needeth." 
Eph. 4 : 28. One of the calmest and profound- 
est writers on political economy some years 
ago said, "I suppose the British and Foreign 
Bible Society, during the twenty or thirty 
years that it has existed, has done more direct 
good in the world — ^has had a greater effect in 
meliorating the condition of the human spe- 
cies — than all the measures which have been 
directed to the same ends by all the prime 
ministers of Europe during a century." Oh 
that men everywhere were moved by that "in- 
satiable benevolence which, not contented with 
reigning in the dispensation of happiness during 
the contracted term of human life," or on the 
narrow theatre of its own vicinage, "strains with 
all the graspings and reachings of a vivacious 
mind to extend the dominion of its bounty be- 
yond the limits " of one country or of one gen- 
eration. Were such the temper of all men, we 
should have no need of preaching sermons to 
check the rapacity or moderate the desires of 
each succeeding generation, and bring human 
wishes within the limits of a holy contentment. 



CONTENTMENT. 473 

People devoted to doing good are commonly a 
cheerful and happy class of persons. 

2. As to honor, rank, standing in the world, 
much needs not be said to make a wise man 
more contented with his lot. For what is more 
fickle than popular favor? The man whose 
name is to-day mingled with shouts of wel- 
come, is to-morrow met with hisses and hoot- 
ings. The very crowd that spread branches 
in the way, and cried, "Hosanna, blessed is he 
that Cometh in the name of the Lord," as Jesus 
entered Jerusalem in the triumph which proph- 
ecy had decreed to him, did in three days 
vociferate, "ISTot this man, but Barabbas," 
"Away with this fellow,'' "Crucify him, cru- 
cify him." The very city that murdered the 
prophets also built their sepulchres. It is the 
habit of popular opinion to shift incessantly. 
Men are constant only in fickleness. But if 
popular favor was perfectly settled, what is it 
but a puff of wind ? What good can it do any 
man ? If the praise of others is undeserved, it 
is but flattery, and may lure us to self-conceit 
and ruin. If it is merited and just, we are apt 
to know our own virtues soon enough, without 
having them trumpeted by others. 

Besides, the best men that ever lived have 



4:14: VITAL GODLINESS. 

had their names cast out as evil — have been far 
more frequently under the ban than under the 
smile of their generation, and in many cases 
have died amid the execrations of their con- 
temporaries. He has the best name who gets 
the ''white stone, and in the stone a new name 
written, which no man knoweth saving he that 
receiveth it.'' How often men are warned not 
to seek the favor of the world. In one of the 
great contests in England for a seat in parlia- 
ment, one of the candidates was suddenly called 
out of time. Burke, the survivor, on that oc- 
casion uttered a sentence which has become 
like one of our proverbs: "What shadows we 
are, and what shadows we pursue." 

3. But some are not content because they 
have so few worldly pleasures. Do they not 
know that all pleasure but that which springs 
from lawful sources leaves a sting behind? 
Communion with God has its pleasures that 
do not cloy the appetite. ''She that liveth in 
pleasure is dead while she liveth." Commonly 
the more worldly pleasure the less happiness 
there is. The more pleasure, the more sin 
also. The more pleasure, the more dreadful 
the last account. Bunyan says, "The epicure, 
that delighteth in the dainties of this world, 



CONTENTMENT. 475 

little thinketh that these very creatures will 
one day witness against him." The pleasures 
of sin are but for a season, and that season so 
short. The pleasures of the table are in the 
end followed by dreadful forms of disease and 
anguish. The pleasures of sense are wholly in- 
sufficient to give permanent enjoyment. '' The 
eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear 
with hearing.'^ 

Contentment is a most reasonable duty. 
It is best that your will should not control 
your affairs. Your health, ease, success, wealth, 
reputation, and enjoyment deeply concern you ; 
but are you fit to direct respecting them ? If 
God should give you your way, how much 
would satisfy you? Would not your desires 
soon be drowned in cares and crimes and sor- 
rows ? Is it best for you to have uninterrupted 
health ? Without some bodily pain, you might 
forget that you were mortal. It would be more 
painful to a truly pious man to say when, how 
long, and how severely he shouM be sick, than 
it would be to be sick all his life. A greater 
name than you now have might be your down- 
fall. More ease might subject you to dreadful 
diseases. Make not your lot worse by sinful 
repinings. 



476 VITAL GODLINESS. 

You have not shown wisdom sufficient to 
direct any of your own affairs. It is a mercy 
to us all that ''it is not in man that walketh to 
direct his steps. ^' Human knowledge is igno- 
rance, human prudence folly, human strength 
weakness, human virtue a slender reed. God 
may cross you without doing you any injustice. 
Your will is the will of a sinner. Sometimes 
Grod has tried you by gratifying your desires 
for something new, something different. The 
result has not generally been favorable. "He 
gave them a king in his anger, and took him 
away in his wrath.'' You have often done 
worse when full than when empty. " Jeshu- 
run waxed fat and kicked." Good Hezekiah 
greatly desired life, and God gave him fifteen 
years more ; but in that time he greatly 
erred,'' and left a sad blot on his name. A 
man may live too long for his own peace, 
or honor, or usefulness. Your wishes are 
not always wise. A child was sick. His 
mother was almost frantic. She fasted, she 
fainted, she wept, she screamed. God re- 
stored her boy to health, and at manhood he 
committed felony, was arrested, imprisoned, 
convicted, executed, and broke her heart. 
How much less would she have suffered had 



CONTENTMENT. 477 

he died in childhood. Your views are liable 
to be full of error. 

But God is fit to govern you and all things. 
He knows what is best for you, how much you 
can bear, and when a smile or a stroke will do 
you most good. His grace is great, and so are 
his truth, and power, and wisdom. If he shall 
direct, all things will go right.. He is never 
deceived nor outwitted. He is gentle and 
kind. ''He knoweth our frame; he remem- 
bereth that we are dust." His will is holy, 
just, and good. He keepeth mercy for thou- 
sands. His faithfulness is unto all generations. 
You should be glad that Jehovah governs the 
universe, that he governs you. If wise, thou 
wilt " trust in the Lord and do good, and ver- 
ily thou shalt be fed;" for he hath said, ''I 
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." What 
a promise ! what a promise ! 

Learn, in whatever state you are, there- 
with to be content. "You are the borrower, 
not the owner of created comfort." Suppress 
the first risings of ambition, covetousness, self- 
will, restlessness, and the spirit of murmuring. 
Rest quietly in God. The future will bring a 
full explanation of the present. Treasure up 
in your heart the blessed promises of God. 



478 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Incessantly ask the Lord to increase your faith. 
Diligently perform all known duties, especially 
relative duties. Be of good courage, and he 
shall strengthen your heart. Say not, God 
hath forgotten, or is as a stranger that tarrieth 
for a night. Eesist all unworthy thoughts of 
your Saviour and heavenly Father. Stand in 
your lot, and leave results with him who gov- 
erns all things after the counsel of his own 
will. So shall you walk safely, and light shall 
be your burden, and soon the Almighty shall 
call you to himself, and "the days of thy 
mourning shall be ended.'^ But till that day 
of joy shall come, rest in the Lord, and wait pa- 
tiently for him, remembering that ' ' we brought 
nothing into this world, and it is certain we 
can carry nothing out." It was one of the 
greatest attainments ever made, when Paul was 
able to say, ''I know both how to be abased, 
and I know how to abound ; everywhere, and 
in all things, I am instructed both to be full 
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer 
need." 

Bishop Hall says, "If a man would be rich, 
honorable, or aged, he should not strive so 
much to add to his wealth, reputation, or years, 
as to detract from his desires. For certainly 



CONTENTMENT. 479 

in these things he hath the most that desireth 
least. A poor man that hath little and desires 
no more, is in truth richer than the greatest 
monarch who thinks he hath not what he 
should or what he might, or who grieves that 
there is no more to have. It is not necessity 
but ambition that sets men's hearts on the 
rack.'^ 

There are three considerations which should 
quite reconcile us to be without much of what 
mankind are generally so greedy after. 

The first is, that God generally gives the 
great amount of the wealth, honors, and pleas- 
ures of this world to his foes. How seldom do 
the potentates of earth fear God. How few 
very rich men love prayer. The sons of 
pleasure are never the sons of God. No wise 
man should care much for that which God 
habitually bestows on those who have no share 
in his saving mercy, and shall never see his 
face in peace. 

The second consideration is, that the arts 
by which these things may be, and often are 
gained, are of the lowest kind. It requires 
neither much sense nor much virtue to build 
up a great fortune, to have many praising you, 
or to be called a man of pleasure. One great 



4:80 VITAL GODLINESS. 

secret in the lives of many who rise to emi- 
nence in these things is, that first of all they 
deny Grod, and give themselves over to irre- 
ligion. They part with a good conscience. 
They may speak much of honor, but often 
there is no honor there. If a man will but 
agree to flatter and cozen, lie and defraud, 
oppress and banter ; if he will allow his self- 
ishness to reign supreme ; if he wilP harden 
his heart against the demands of justice, the 
dictates of equity, and the urgencies of char- 
ity ; if he will hold fast all he gets, and get all 
he can, he may be rich ; and if he can once 
acquire wealth, there are always some that 
will sound his praise; and so he may by 
money and flattery buy his way to power and" 
notoriety. It is the deliberate judgment of 
many close observers, that the mass of the 
successful in worldly schemes do not possess 
the average of intellect, and are below the 
average in want of good feeling and good con- 
duct. This may seem strange to some, but let 
every man look over the list of his acquaint- 
ance, and see if it is not so. The butt of many 
a family dies worth more than all the rest of 
his father's children. ''Godliness with con- 
tentment is great gain.'' 



CONTENTMENT. 481 

The third consideration is, that nothing can 
make us happy if our minds are restless and 
grasping ; but that contentment is itself riches, 
honors, and pleasures. "The sleep of the la- 
boring man is sweet, whether he eat much or 
little; but the abundance of the rich will not 
suffer him to sleep." The Persians have this 
proverb: "Ten poor men can sleep tranquilly 
upon a mat ; but two kings are not able to live 
at peace in a quarter of the world." And one 
of our own poets has said, 

"Contentment gives a crown 
Where fortune hath denied it." 



vital Oodllnesi. 21 



482 VITAL GODLINESS. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

PATIENCE, 

In the Greek Testament are two words 
which we translate patience. One of these is 
rendered by Robinson longanimity, long-suffer- 
ing, forbearance, patient endurance, patience. In 
Scripture it is used to express the forbearance 
or patience of God towards sinners in delay- 
ing their just punishment. Rom. 2 : 4 ; 9 : 22 ; 
2 Pet. 3 : 15. It also expresses human for- 
bearance, or the patience of one man towards 
another. Matt. 18 : 26, 29 ; Eph. 4 : 2. The 
verb from which it is derived is used to ex- 
press the delay of God to deliver his perse- 
cuted people. Luke 18:7. And another sig- 
nification is, that of man's quietly and confi- 
dently awaiting blessings from God, as Gal. 
6 : 22. In general this patience is opposed to 
all hastiness of spirit towards God or man. 

The other word in the Greek Testament 
rendered patience is perhaps of still more fre- 
quent use, and signifies endurance, constancy, 
patience. It often occurs in the epistles of the 
New Testament. In many cases it clearly con- 



PATIENCE. 483 

veys the idea of perseverance in duty at all 
risks and hazards with hope towards God. 

Buck defines patience to be "that calm 
and unruffled temper with which a good man 
bears the evils of life.'^ 

Barrow says, "Patience is that virtue 
which qualifieth us to bear all conditions and 
all events, by Grod's disposal incident to us, 
with such apprehensions and persuasions of 
mind, such dispositions and affections of heart, 
such external deportments and practices of life, 
as God requireth and good reason directeth." 

Evans says, " Christian patience is a dis- 
position that keeps us calm and composed in 
our frame, and steady in the practice of our 
duty under the sense of our afflictions or in the 
delay of our hopes." 

Oharnock says, "In regard of God, patience 
is a submission to his sovereignty.'^ ... "To 
be patient because we cannot avoid or resist 
it, is a violent, not a loyal patience ; but to 
submit because it is the will of God to inflict 
it, to be silent because the sovereignty of God 
doth order it, is a patience of a true complex- 
ion." 

Mason says, "Christian patience is not a 
careless indolence, a stupid insensibility, me- 



484 VITAL GODLINESS. 

chanical bravery, constitutional fortitude, a 
daring stoutness of spirit, resulting from fatal- 
ism, philosophy, or pride : it is derived from a 
divine agency, nourished by heavenly truth, 
and guided by scriptural rules. '^ 

Bates says, ''The insensibility of Grod's 
hand inflicting evils is as different from Chris- 
tian patience and constancy, as a mortal leth- 
argy is from the quiet, soft sleep of health: 
nothing kindles his anger more than neglect- 
ing it J it is equally provoking with the despis- 
ing of his love ; it is a symptom of a wretched 
state of soul: if there proceed no sighs and 
groans, no signs of grief from the sense of 
God's displeasure, it is a sad evidence there is 
no spiritual life. Indolence under the effects 
of God's anger is like the stillness of the Dead 
sea, whose calm is a curse." 

Dilw}^ says, "A phlegmatic insensibility 
is as different from patience as a pool is from 
a harbor. Into the one indolence naturally 
sinks us ; but if we arrive at the other, it is by 
encountering many an adverse wind and rough 
wave, with a more skilful pilot at the helm 
than self, and a company under better com- 
mand than the passions." 

From what has been said it appears that 



PATIENCE. 485 

patience has various objects. Towards God it 
is resigned, and says, "I will bear the indig- 
nation of the Lord.'' Towards Christian men, 
who justly reprove us, it is meek, and says, 
"Let the righteous smite me." Towards wick- 
ed and unreasonable men, who love to see oth- 
ers afflicted, it says, "Eejoice not against me, 
mine enemy." Towards the ills under 
which we are called to suffer, it is not violent 
and imperious, but rather gives them a kind 
entertainment. Under provocation it is gentle 
and not resentful. It blesses and curses not. 
It bears insults and injuries without malice. It 
is " patient toward all men." Under affliction 
it is quiet and submissive. It will use no wick- 
ed measures to relieve even great distresses. 
It is ''patient in tribulation," in the extremest 
sufferings. Under delays it is still constant. 
It loves to leave every thing in the hands of 
the Father. To this Paul refers when he says, 
*' Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have 
done the will of God, ye might receive the 
promise. For yet a little while, and he that 
shall come will come, and will not tarry." 
Heb. 10 : 36, 37. 

The duty of patience is illustrated in the 
Scriptures by several different similes. The 



486 VITAL GODLINESS. 

first is that of the farmer. ''Be patient there- 
fore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. 
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the pre- 
cious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience 
for it, until he receive the early and latter 
rain." Jas. 5 : 7. The precious seed is often 
sown in autumn. For moisture it is dependent 
on dews and rains, over which the farmer has 
no control. Nor can he either send or with- 
hold the snow for its protection against the 
rigors of winter. Nor can he defend it against 
blight and mildew and the caterpillar and the 
army- worm. Nor can he reap his harvest for 
months after the seed-time. So that "long 
patience'' is required. At last the precious 
fruits come, and all his toils are rewarded and 
all his hopes realized. 

Another mode of representing patience is 
by the life and habits of a city watchman. 
Thus the psalmist says, ' ' I wait for the Lord, 
my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. 
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they 
that watch for the morning : I say, more than 
they that watch for the morning." Psalm 
130 : 5, G. The night may be dark and long 
and stormy, but the longest night has its morn- 
ing, the darkest night has the day-spring com- 



PATIENCE. 487 

ing after it, and the most stormy weather is 
followed by calm and sunshine. The weather- 
beaten watchman knows that he will be allow- 
ed to cease his rounds and at last rest in his 
bed. He rejoices in hope of sure release. He 
longs for the time to come. Yet he frets not 
because it seems to tarry. He knows he can- 
not hasten it. If he could do away with night 
altogether, it would but spoil his business. If 
he could materially abbreviate it, he would 
but diminish his gains. So he enters upon his 
beat and its duties with firmness and con- 
stancy. 

A third mode of representing this patience 
is by the duties and habits of a servant. "Be- 
hold, as the eyes of servants look unto the 
hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a 
maiden unto the hand of her mistress ; so our 
eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that 
he have mercy upon us.'' Psa. 123 : 2. The 
context shows that the state of mind here de- 
scribed had special reference to the state of the 
righteous as called to endure the contempt and 
scorning of the proud. 

A quiet patient spirit is also set forth in 
God's word by the behavior of a weaned child. 
David says, "Surely I have behaved and qui- 



488 VITAL GODLINESS. 

eted myself as a child that is weaned of his 
mother : my soul is even as a weaned child." 
Psa. 131 : 2. This process, when first com- 
menced, produces wakefulness, restlessness, 
fretfulness; but when completed, it produces 
quietness and submission. An illustration so 
familiar to all parents needs no further expla- 
nation. 

Job uses another simile to set forth the 
same thing, that of a hireling, who watched the 
lengthening shadows of the evening, and longed 
for his reward. He had too much principle to 
desert his work or to attempt to defraud his 
employer. But at the going down of the sun 
he looked for release. This seems to be a 
favorite mode of expressing the views of life 
entertained by Job in the time of his great and 
sore afflictions. Job 7:1, 2 ; 14 : 6. 

When examples of patience are demanded, 
we can be at no loss. James says, "Take, my 
brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the 
name of the Lord, for an example of suffering 
affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count 
them hapiDy which endure. Ye have heard of 
the patience of Job, and have seen the end of 
the Lord ; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of 
tender mercy." 



PATIENCE, 489 

Time would fail us to tell of Isaiah royally 
descended, who for his fidelity is said to have 
been nailed up in a box and sawn asunder ; of 
Jeremiah and all his suffering in the slimy pit 
and elsewhere ; of Daniel in the lions' den ; of 
the faithful Hebrews in the fiery furnace ; and 
of all those great sufferers for the truth and 
honor of God in ancient times. Look also at 
our forefathers in Scotland, England, Ireland, 
France, Holland, and Germany. 

But the apostle James selects Job as a 
special example. And indeed he was the most 
patient of all merely human sufferers. What 
did he not lose without one sinful word? Seven 
thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five 
hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-asses, 
a great retinue of servants, seven sons and 
three daughters, and bodily health were all 
taken, yet in all this his patience seems not 
once to have failed. His grief was heavier 
than the sand of the sea. The arrows of the 
Almighty were within him, and their poison 
was drinking up his spirits. Yea, the terrors 
of God set themselves against him. Yet more 
than fifteen hundred years afterwards James 
points to him as the brightest example of pa- 
tience among the ancient servants of God. 

21* 



4:90 VITAL GODLINESS. 

The most illustrious sufferer and the best 
pattern of patience was Jesus Christ. None 
suffered so greatly, none suffered so patiently. 
He endured mockery, contradiction, scourg- 
ing, and death at the hand of man. He also 
bore the wrath of Grod. The violence of men 
and the wrath of God, treachery and desertion 
by his disciples, and the hiding of his Father's 
face, all came on him at once. Yet he bore it 
all in a blameless manner. "When reviled, 
he reviled not again; when he suffered, he 
threatened not, but committed himself to him 
that judgeth righteously." ''For this cause,'' 
says he, ''came I to this hour." " Not my will, 
but thine be done." None can be at a loss for 
a safe guide, if he will but turn his eyes to 
Christ. There all is constancy, forbearance, 
quiet, unmurmuring endurance, unflinching 
obedience ; nature indeed lifting up both hands 
in terror and amazement, but principle and 
piety triumphing over all temptations. Bless- 
ed be God, our Guide and Pattern has left us 
a perfect example. 

This patience is the fruit of God's Spirit. 
Paul prayed that his Colossian converts "might 
walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, 
being fruitful in every good work, and increas- 



PATIENCE. 491 

ing ill the knowledge of God; strengthened 
with all might, according to his glorious power, 
unto all patience and long-suffering, with joy- 
fulness." Col. 1:10, 11. Every good gift 
comes from heaven. Nature is impatient, self- 
willed, restless, turbulent. Men must be taught 
of Grod, or they never will know any thing to 
purpose. Used as men are to some kinds or 
degrees of inconvenience, conscious as they 
ought to be that they deserve far worse than 
ever befalls them, yet all this is to no purpose 
until God by his Spirit gives them affections 
and principles which are quite above the meas- 
ure and strength of nature. 

That this grace enters into the essentials of 
Christian character, is certain from the fact 
that it is twice so catalogued. In 1 Tim. 6 :11, 
Paul exhorts Timothy to "follow after right- 
eousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meek- 
ness." And in Galatians 5 : 22, 23, he says the 
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suf- 
fering," or patience, "gentleness, goodness, 
faith, meekness, temperance." He who dares 
erase from either catalogue a single word, 
takes great liberties with sacred things, and 
brings his soul into jeopardy. It is also obvi- 
ous from the very nature of holiness, and from 



492 VITAL GODLINESS. 

the nature of heavenly things. Would not a 
fiery, impatient spirit be every way as unlove- 
ly and as unfit for the society above as the 
spirit of revenge, of pride, or of covetousness ? 
If we have an impatient temper, occasions 
and temptations will not be wanting to elicit it. 
The world is full of evil-doers and evil-doings, 
of evil-speakers and evil-speeches, of evil-sur- 
misers and evil-surmisings. " Fret not thyself 
because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious 
against the workers of iniquity. For they 
shall soon be cut down like the grass, and with- 
er as the green herb. . . . Fret not thyself in 
anywise to do evil.'' Psa. 37:1, 2, 8. Some- 
times the power of wicked men is fearful, and 
wielded in the most wanton and oppressive 
manner. The beast which rose out of the sea, 
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon 
Ms horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the 
name of blasphemy, has always had a mouth 
speaking great things and blasphemies; and 
has often had power to make war with the 
saints, and to overcome them; and all whose 
names are not written in the book of life of the 
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, 
do at times worship him. And he carries 
G-od's people into captivity, and he slays them 



PATIENCE. 493 

with the sword. In such a state of things as 
this, we see ''the patience and the faith of the 
saints." Eev. 13 : 10. As a roaring lion, Sa- 
tan goeth about seeking whom he may devour. 

Doubtless there is a just anger, a righteous 
indignation against wrongs and wrong-doers. 
It is based on a sense of justice. But anger 
which results from our evil tempers, which is 
violent or perpetuated, does no good. It tor- 
ments him who exercises it. It grieves his 
best friends; it terrifies his dependents. It 
makes intercourse with him a source of misery. 
It is commonly followed by dreadful reproach- 
es of conscience. It drives away many who 
would otherwise delight to do one a service. 
It mends no mistakes, relieves no pains, re- 
pairs no losses. And it is infectious, and in 
turn communicated to those around us. 

A time of sickness generally tries one^s 
patience. There is always much sickness in 
the world. No man can entirely escape it but 
by a sudden death, which in a moment calls 
him into eternity. Some sicknesses waste the 
frame without beclouding the mind. Others 
beget stupor, which destroys sensibility to 
pain. But generally sickness renders men less 
capable of reasoning soundly and feeling kind- 



494: VITAL GODLINESS. 

ly than before. To Mm who is of a patient 
spirit, sickness may, without a miracle, be a 
means of great enjoyment. It enables a good 
man to test his principles. The severer the 
sickness in such cases, the richer the blessings 
following. Probably the happiest person in 
many a large city in Christian lands is some 
child of Grod, whose bodily health makes him 
a stranger to sound sleep, and a stranger also 
to the house of Grod. There is still living a 
man who says he has seen four very happy 
days. One was the day of his conversion; 
another was the day of his marriage ; the other 
two were days spent in a sick-bed far from 
home. 

The church has had few brighter ornaments 
than the celebrated Andrew Eivet. As a stu- 
dent, a writer, a preacher, a professor, he was 
full of life and energy; yet he said he ''had 
learned more divinity in ten days' sickness 
than in fifty years' study." 

The pious Halyburton, in a state of great 
weakness and pain, said, ''Verily there is a 
reality in religion. The little acquaintance I 
have had with G-od within these two days, has 
been better than ten thousand times the pains 
I have all my life been at about religion. 



PATIENCE. 495 

These fourteen or fifteen years I have been 
studying the promises ; but I have seen more 
of the book of God this night than in all that 
time. If I had my students about me now, I 
would give them a lesson of divinity." 

In 1826, one of my class-mates was taken 
sick. His illness became extreme. His life 
was in great peril. At times his pains were 
excruciating. He was not at ease one moment. 
Yet all who visited him were witnesses of his 
patience and joy. Their report led others to 
his sick-bed. Many a fellow-student dropped 
his books every day, and said, "I will now 
turn aside and see this great sight." This 
good man died not then, but lived to proclaim 
for several years the unsearchable riches of 
Christ. He bore with patience many trials, 
and carried with him through life a sweet sa- 
vour of Christ, and has now fallen asleep. This 
happy sufferer was the Rev. Jacob Beecher, 
afterwards of Winchester, Ya. Every pastor 
sees cases of this kind. Every evangelical 
church furnishes them. If God so blesses us 
in sickness, we need not dread its sharpest 
pangs. They prepare us for sweet mercies. 
Even if we have no transports, we may yet 
have quietness. Though we may not exult, 



496 VITAL GODLINESS. 

we may endure. God may appoint to us 
wearisome nights and days of vanity, scaring 
us in visions, or holding our eyes waking. Our 
bed may not comfort us, nor our couch ease 
our complaints. For a time Grod may hide 
his face from us, or our consolations may be 
small. Yet it is a great attainment to lie pas- 
sive in Grod's hands, and know no will but his. 
Some are impatient respecting the future. 
Their faith is perhaps weak, their nerves are 
not strong, their circumstances not easy, and 
they have great disquiet. Indeed most men 
have alternate hopes and fears concerning 
coming days. It would greatly tend to check 
such thoughts if we would remember that the 
future, which we so much dread, may never 
come to us. There is nothing more certain 
than death, and nothing more uncertain than 
the time when death may overtake us. The 
human mind easily grows weary when prying 
into the future. A wise man can do nothing 
better than look up to God, and say. My times 
are with thee. I cannot see far; I am very 
blind. But God sees the end from the begin- 
ning. He is wise and mighty. Issues are 
with him ; duty is mine. If I can do what God 
requires, I need not fear results. Times may 



PATIENCE. 497 

change ; revolution may swiftly follow rev- 
olution; friends and scenes and seasons may 
change ; I myself may undergo many changes ; 
but God, his word and plans and counsels never 
change. They are all holy and perfect. 

To do one's duty and leave results with 
God is scriptural. " Trust in the Lord, and do 
good." '' Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, 
and put your trust in the Lord." What bet- 
ter can a man do ? What else can he do, un- 
less he fret and sin ? A great means of curing 
impatience is a close attention to present duties, 
some of which are always instant and urgent. 
One of these is the maintenance of a devout 
spirit. He who has no heart to pray and praise, 
to read God's word, to meditate on divine 
things, and to try his own ways, has not begun 
to do his duty, and lays himself open to the 
assaults of impatience. Whatever is unfriend- 
ly to a spirit of devotion is dangerous. We 
all need fire, fire from heaven, to consume 
our sacrifices. The love of Christ must be 
shed abroad within us. If prayer were always 
'' the key of the day and the lock of the even- 
ing," we should have far fewer impatient 
speeches. The man who finds God's words 
and eats them, who meditates on divine things 



4:98 VITAL GODLINESS. 

in the night-watches, who searches his heart as^ 
with candles, who is in the fear of the Lord all 
the day long, who praises the Lord seven times 
a day, cannot be under the sway of impatience. 

Let a man also set himself to the imitation 
of Christ, whose example is perfect and lovely ; 
let him follow the Lamb whithersoever he lead- 
eth; let him walk in the footsteps of his great 
Forerunner ; let him be careful to do this with 
exactness and alertness, and impatience shall 
not be his master. 

Let him delight in the law of G-od after the 
inward man, let him esteem God's precepts 
concerning all things to be right, let him love 
the law which reproves his sins, let him take it 
as a rule for all his thoughts, words, and deeds, 
and he will have so much to do that he will 
find impatience yielding before a hearty per- 
formance of duty. 

Let him watch his own heart, let him see 
to it that he be not merely ' ' converted from 
the sins of men to the sins of devils," as from 
drunkenness, gluttony, and lewdness to envy, 
malice, and spiritual pride ; but let him see to 
it that he is turned from sin to holiness, from 
Satan unto God, and he will by degrees gain 
a sure victory over impatience. 



PATIENCE. 499 

Let him die unto the world, let him die 
daily; let it be his rule, "I will lend, but not 
give myself to worldly matters ;" let him quit 
the world before it quits him; let him learn 
that it is a cheat and a liar, not by always 
seeking to it, but by obeying the lessons of 
past experience and the teachings of God's 
word, and his impatience concerning the future 
will give way. Let him learn to avoid the 
habit of complaining, let him labor to take 
cheerful views of things, so far as this can in 
truth be done. 

" The wise in secret always liide their pain ; 
And only when redress is sure, complain." 

Or if the sorrow of the mind be great, let him 
go chiefly to God with it. A man may com- 
plain to God, but let him never complain o/" God. 
Let him never tire in his Master's service, al- 
ways making Christ's righteousness his right- 
eousness, God's will his will, God's Son his 
bright and morning star; let him consent to 
be nothing, that God may be all and in all; 
let him live by faith, and walk by faith; let 
him diligently run the race that is set before 
him, and he will find sinful impatience leav- 
ing him more and more, till at last it shall be 
a vanquished foe, and he shall rise to dwell 



500 VITAL GODLINESS. 

with Grod. Above all things, look to God him- 
self. 

Perhaps old age has begun to come upon 
you, and you jBind there comes with it a certain 
spirit of impatience. It is sometimes said that 
the old are liable to peevishness. Great chan- 
ges have taken place in the world since their 
habits were formed. Such conduct is often 
exhibited before them as makes them feel 
that others wish their place or their property. 
They see but little reverence for grey hairs. 
They have many infirmities. They are often 
kept from the house of God. Disappointment 
sometimes sorely tries their temper. They 
often see mean advantages taken of their age 
or weakness. Sometimes they have no means 
of occupying their time. They cannot see to 
read, or they did not form the habit of read- 
ing when young, and so cannot now enjoy it. 
Early in life Bishop Hall wrote, ''There is 
nothing more odious than fruitless old age. 
And as no tree bears fruit in autumn, unless 
it blossoms in the spring, so that my age may 
be profitable, and laden with fruit, I will en- 
deavor that my youth may be studious, and 
flowered with the blossoms of learning and ob- 
servation." It is a great thing for old people 



PATIENCE. 501 

to love reading. If the Bible alone is their 
companion and joy, they will surely find '' sol- 
itude sweetened." It is a great matter for 
any, and especially for the aged, to learn to 
control their tongue and temper; to be eco- 
nomical without stinginess, liberal without 
prodigality, cheerful without levity, humble 
without meanness, strict without bigotry, de- 
vout without fanaticism, and obliging without 
laxity of principle. The angry passions by all 
men, especially by the aged, should be kept 
under strict control. 

Earnestly cry to God for guidance, sup- 
port, and comfort in old age. No wit, no learn- 
ing, no renown in early life can of themselves 
preserve one from contempt in old age. Dean 
Swift was a great student, scholar, and wit; 
in old age he became stupid, helpless, sense- 
less. He was fed like a child, and was actu- 
ally exhibited by his servants for reward as a 
show to visitors. No man ever made a deeper 
impression on England than the duke of Marl- 
borough. At court his sway was above that 
of all but the queen. In France his name was 
a solemn caution to men to live peaceably. 
All Europe resounded with the fame of his 
deeds. Yet his last days were full of misery. 



502 VITAL GODLINESS. 

He was an idiot. God alone and God only 
can protect the aged from all harm. Look to 
him. ''Trust in the Lord, and do good; so 
shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou 
shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, 
and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. 
Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in 
him, and he shall bring it to pass ; and he shall 
bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and 
thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the 
Lord, and wait patiently for him." He can 
cause that the hoary head being found in the 
way of righteousness shall be a crown of glory. 
If you are old, remember that as long as 
you live, one of your most solemn duties is to 
set an example of cheerfulness and patience; 
that as memory fails, it needs to be often re- 
freshed by the perusal of God's word ; that as 
your time on earth is short, you should be 
careful that none of it run to waste ; that your 
sufferings on earth will not last long ; and that 
God's promises to pious old age are very full 
and gracious. Listen to his words: "Thine 
age shall be clearer than the noon-day : thou 
shalt shine forth ; thou shalt be as the morn- 
ing." Job 11:17. ''They shall still bring 
forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and 



PATIENCE. 503 

flourishing; to show that the Lord is upright: 
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteous- 
ness in him.'^ Psa. 92:14. Again he says, 
''Even to your old age I am he, and even to 
hoar hairs will I carry you : I have made, and 
I will hear ; even I will carry, and will deliver 
you.'^ Isa. 46:4. Surely with such promises 
we may safely trust an unseen God even in the 
midst of the trials and weaknesses of age. How 
memorable that saying of an eminent servant 
of God, "I have had six children, and I bless 
God that they are either with Christ or in 
Christ, and my mind is at rest concerning 
them. My desire was that they should have 
served Christ on earth ; but if God will rather 
choose to have them serve him in heaven, / 
have nothing to oljed to it^ 

Are you a teacher of the young ? Are you 
endeavoring to form the minds of others to vir- 
tue and knowledge ? Be patient. Eule your 
own spirit; teach the same lesson over and 
over again; upbraid not others for their dul- 
ness. Persevere. Be ^pleasant. 

Are you laboring for the conversion of oth- 
ers, and do they seem very dull and obstinate? 
Be patient with them. As long as God spares 
them there is hope. Who can tell but the 



504: VITAL GODLINESS. 

Lord will be gracious in the last extremity? 
Hope and plead with them. Hope and pray 
to God. Never cease your endeavors till life 
is extinct. 

Are you slandered? Be not revengeful. 
Jesus Christ was more reviled and misrepre- 
sented than you have ever been. Make him 
your pattern. It is better to be slandered 
than to be a slanderer. It will do you more 
harm to lose your self-control and fall into sin, 
than to have all manner of evil spoken against 
you falsely. 

Are you poor ? Jesus Christ was more so. 
Be patient under trials. Christ passed through 
those that are worse. If men despise you for 
your poverty, it may drive you to the mercy- 
seat ; and will not that be good for you ? 

Have you bodily pain? Learn to distin- 
guish between those effects which show sinful 
impatience and those which are purely phys- 
ical. A man may indulge very sinful impa- 
tience towards God, and yet not utter a sigh 
or a groan. Another may be in a state of 
mind highly pleasing to God, and yet every 
breath may be a groan or a sigh. It is not 
sinful for men to give natural expression to 
their sense of pain. 



PATIENCE. 505 

The motives which may properly be urged 
upon us to exercise patience are many and 
strong. 

1. The impatient man is unhappy, and 
nothing can hinder his being so but a change 
of temper. He doubles all his sorrows. Those 
around him are apt to imitate him, and their 
impatience reacts on him. In prosperity and 
adversity, he is alike destitute of solid peace 
of mind. 

2. The impatient brings on himself every 
sort of evil, and especially great guilt in the 
sight of God. " He that hath no rule over his 
own spirit is like a city that is broken down 
and without walls." Prov. 25:28. That is, 
he lies open to the invasion of all evils; he 
is protected against none of them. In a thou- 
sand respects, "the patient in spirit is better 
than the proud in spirit." Eccl. 7:8. 

3. However sharp our pains and great our 
sufferings may be, they will not last always. 
The apostle says, ''Be ye also patient; estab- 
lish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh." 

4. Patience is one link in the golden chain 
which holds us safe on earth in the midst of 
enemies and perils. Nor is there a brighter 

vital OodUnsBS. 22 



506 VITAL GODLINESS. 

link in that chain. Paul says, ''We glory in 
tribulations also, knowing that tribulation 
worketh patience; and patience, experience; 
and experience, hope; and hope maketh not 
ashamed; because the love of God is shed 
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which 
is given unto us." Rom. 5 : 3-5. James also 
says, "The trying of your faith worketh 
patience. But let patience have her perfect 
work, that ye may be perfect and entire, want- 
ing nothing." Chap. 1 : 3, 4. It was a noble 
exclamation in Fenelon when his library was 
on fire, "God be praised that it is not the 
dwelling of some poor man." 

5. God has mercifully condescended to in- 
struct us on this whole subject by divine exam- 
ple. To his enemies how amazingly patient is 
God. How he bears with sinners, and forbears 
to punish them. Indeed, ungodly men in all 
ages have hardened themselves in sin because 
God was so good. They have long and blas- 
phemously cried, " Where is the promise of his 
coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all 
things continue as they were." How long did 
the patience of God wait in the days of Noah. 
How many thousands of offences, even open 
and daring sins, do multitudes commit, and yet 



PATIENCE. 507 

God spares them, giving them time for repent- 
ance. Even the worst criminals are commonly 
permitted to live long enough to repent, if they 
have a heart to do so. Shall God show pa- 
tience under such fearful provocations, and 
shall we be impatient under any wrongs com- 
mitted against us? Oh let us "be followers,'' 
imitators, "of God, as dear children.'' 

6. Especially has our Lord Jesus Christ 
left us an illustrious example of forbearance, 
meekness, and patience: "He was brought as 
a lamb to the slaughter ; and as a sheep before 
her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his 
mouth." His forbearance towards his enemies 
when on earth was amazing. Legions of angels 
would have fought his battles with men, if he 
had bid them do so. But his hands and his 
heart were both full of blessings, not curses. 
He bore all, he endured all, he murmured not, 
he fretted not, he said no hard things, he felt 
no unkindness, he was all gentleness and love. 
In all this he left us an example, that we should 
follow his steps. "If we suffer with him, we 
shall also reign with him." 

7. "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having 
com.passion one of another ; love as brethren, 
be pitiful, be courteous : not rendering evil for 



508 VITAL GODLINESS. 

evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise 
blessing ; knowing that ye are thereunto called, 
that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that 
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain 
his tongue from evil, and his lips that they 
speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do 
good ; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For 
the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, 
and his ears are open unto their prayers : but 
the face of the Lord is against them that do 
evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye 
be followers of that which is good ? But and 
if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are 
ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither 
be troubled." 1 Pet. 3 :8-14. "If when ye do 
well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is 
acceptable with God." 1 Pet. 2 : 20. ''For it is 
better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for 
well-doing than for evil-doing." 1 Pet. 3 : 17. 
Every wise man has found trial good for him. 
Lord Campbell, Chief-justice of England, 
says, ''Little do we know what is for our per- 
manent good. Had Bunyan been discharged, 
and allowed to enjoy his liberty, he no doubt 
would have returned, filling up his intervals of 
leisure with field preaching; his name would 
not have survived his own generation, and he 



PATIENCE. 509 

would have done little for tlie religious im- 
provement of mankind. The prison doors were 
shut upon him for twelve years. Being cut oil 
from the external world, he communed with 
his own soul, and inspired by Him who touch- 
ed Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire, he composed 
the noblest allegory, the merit of which was 
first discovered by the lowly, but which is now 
lauded by the most refined critics ; and which 
has done more to awaken piety and to enforce 
the precepts of Christian morality, than all the 
sermons that have been published by all the 
prelates of the Anglican church.*^ 

In God's plan, to descend is first; to as- 
cend comes afterwards. We must sink that 
we may rise. Good old Berridge says, "Afflic- 
tions, desertions, and temptations are as need- 
ful as consolations. Jonah's whale will teach 
a good lesson as well as Pisgah's top j and a 
man may sometimes learn as much from being 
a night or a day in the deep, as from being 
forty days in the mount. I see Jonah come 
out of a whale cured of rebellion. I see Mo- 
ses go up into the mount with meekness, and 
come down in a huff" and break the tables. 
Further, I see three picked disciples attending 
their Master into the mount, and falling asleep 



610 VITAL GODLINESS. 

there. It is well for you to be clothed in sack- 
cloth while you tarry in the wilderness. Look 
upward, and press forward. Heaven's eternal 
hills are before you, and Jesus stands with 
arms wide open to receive you. One hour's 
sight and enjoyment of the Bridegroom in his 
palace above will make you forget all your 
troubles on the way." 

Three remarks are offered in conclusion : 
1. We see the unspeakable value of relig- 
ious truth. It is a stay and a joy when all 
comforts and resources of earth fail. Even 
wicked men have often confessed its power. 
Before his own mind was influenced by relig- 
ious hopes or principles, Richard Cecil made 
the following observations : 

"I see two unquestionable facts. 1. My 
mother is greatly afflicted in circumstances, 
body, and mind, and yet she cheerfully bears 
up under all by the support she derives from 
constantly retiring to her closet and to her 
Bible. 2. My mother has a secret spring of 
comfort of which I know nothing ; while I, who 
give an unbounded loose to my appetites, and 
seek pleasure by every means, seldom or never 
find it. If, however, there is any such secret 
in religion, why may I not attain to it as well 



PATIENCE. 511 

as my mother? I will immediately seek it 
from God." 

Indeed, so cold, so barren is infidelity, so 
destitute of consolatory power, that many have 
borne a testimony like that of Cecil, and these 
not merely the weak, but also the strong. The 
prince among German historians was Niebuhr. 
He was not merely a great sceptic, he was an 
infidel. He was a rationalist, and received 
nothing as true in revelation except what he 
chose. This man had a son, whose happiness 
lay near his heart. Did he wish him to be 
educated an infidel? Had he found his own 
system full of consolation ? No. He says that 
he intends his boy '' shall believe in the letter 
of the Old and New Testaments, and / shall 
nurture in him from his infancy a firm faith in 
all that I have lost or feel uncertain about.'* 

2. Of course it is very important to study 
God's word. Would that we had once more 
a race of great Bible readers. There have 
been such, and they have been fat and flour- 
ishing. Jerome seems to have had the whole 
Scripture stored in his memory. Erasmus 
says of him, "Who ever learned by heart the 
whole Scriptures, or imbibed or meditated on 
them as he did ?" 



512 VITAL GODLINESS. 

After his conversion, Tertullian was occu- 
pied day and night in reading God's word. 
He committed much of it to memory. 

That great divine Witsius was able without 
a concordance to recite almost any passage of 
Scripture in the original words, and tell the 
book, chapter, and verse. 

A few years since I had an acquaintance 
on the bench of the Supreme court of his own 
state, who quoted Scripture with readiness and 
accuracy, which showed that the word of God 
dwelt in him richly. In fact, eminent Chris- 
tians the world over are characterized by con- 
stant and profound meditation on God's word. 
Oh that men would be persuaded to make 
God's testimonies their constant delight ! Locke 
says, ''If any man will obtain a true knowledge 
of the Christian religion, let him study the holy 
Scriptures, especially in the New Testament. 
Therein are contained the words of eternal life. 
It has God for its author, salvation for its end, 
and truth, without any mixture of error, for its 
matter.'^ 

3. Let us follow Christ. Let us be content 
to live and suffer with him. Eobertson of Dub- 
lin says, "We hear in these days a great deal 
respecting rights — the rights of private judg- 



PATIENCE. 613 

ment, the rights of labor, the rights of prop- 
erty, and the rights of man. Eights are grand 
things, divine things in this world of God's ; 
but the way in which we expound those rights, 
alas, seems to me to be the very incarnation of 
selfishness. I can see nothing noble in a man 
who is for ever going about calling for his own 
rights. Alas, alas for the man who feels noth- 
ing more grand in this wondrous, divine world 
than his own rights. Two thousand years ago, 
there was One here on this earth who lived the 
grandest life that ever has been lived yet — a 
life that every thinking man, with deeper or 
shallower meaning, has agreed to call divine. 
I read little respecting his rights, or of his 
claims of rights ; but I have read a great deal 
respecting his duties. Every act he did he 
called a duty. I read a very little in that life 
respecting his rights ; but I hear a vast deal 
respecting his wrongs — wrongs infinite — wrongs 
borne with a majestic, godlike silence. His 
reward? His reward was the reward that 
God gives to all his true and noble ones — to 
be cast out in his day and generation, and a 
life conferring death at last — those were his 
rights V^ 



22* 



514 VITAL GODLINESS. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

JOY. 

Jot is delight at something esteemed good 
in possession or in prospect. It is one of the 
most powerful affections of the mind, and un- 
der the various names of satisfaction, cheerful- 
ness, gladness, mirth, triumph, exultation, and 
glorying, enters in various degrees into the 
experience of mankind. Accordingly there 
are different words in the original Scriptures, 
as in our English text, signifying different de- 
grees of joy. 

The Scriptures draw a wide distinction be- 
tween lawful and unlawful joy. This should 
always be maintained. The hypocrite, no less 
than the true servant of God — the stony-ground 
hearers, no less than those who received the 
word into good and honest hearts, had joy. 
This was very different in the two classes, but 
real in both. Unlawful joys are such as are 
not warranted by God's word or providence ; 
such as spring from a thing of naught ; such as 
have their basis in our wicked feelings ; or 
such as have some iniquity as their exciting 



JOY. 615 

cause. They always prove men depraved, and 
alwa3'S make men worse. 

Lawful joys are of various kinds, some of 
which are common to mankind in all ages, 
such as the joy of mothers in beholding their 
smiling infants, the joy of the husbandman in 
harvest time, the joy of full health and vigor, 
inclining us to leap and run. There are also 
lawful joys in the exercise of our intellects, in 
solving difficulties, in achieving mental tri- 
umphs, in finding out hidden'causes and dark 
sayings. True friendship has its joys. The 
soul, enlightened, comforted, transported by 
the power of God's Spirit, has great joy. It 
cannot be otherwise. The joy which we have 
in things temporal is inferior to that in things 
eternal. Things of sense cannot give such de- 
light as the things of religion. It would be a 
calamity if any thing on earth was equal to the 
joys above. 

One of the oldest and most mischievous 
slanders against religion is that it is unfriendly 
to enjoyment. Some admit that it makes am- 
ple provision for future blessedness, but con- 
tend that in this life it makes no proper return 
for the pleasures from which it cuts us off. 
This objection assumes many shapes, and is 



516 VITAL GODLINESS. 

urged with various degrees of zeal and subt- 
lety. More men feel its power than are ready 
to confess it. Particular answers may prop- 
erly be given to particular forms of it. But 
some general remarks meet the objection in its 
leading principles. 

1. Suppose it were a fact that God's peo- 
ple lose all joy on earth, and in this life have 
only sorrow and mortification, but a sure hope 
of being eternally saved ; who is wise, the man 
that weeps for a* day and rejoices for ever, or 
the man who is merry for a day and mourns 
for ever ? No wise man doubts what answer 
should be given to that interrogatory. It is 
better to endure even a great evil for a moment 
than to have a comparatively small evil inflict- 
ed for a long time. It is agreeable to reason 
that great enjoyments are not to be sought if 
they will be followed by long-continued evils. 
To burn down a house to avoid the chilliness 
of a night, to take a powerful narcotic to re- 
lieve a slight pain, cannot be justified at the 
bar of reason. Can any temporal evil compare 
with everlasting sorrow? Can any earthly 
good compare with an eternity of bliss? What 
is an hour of joy to ages of woe ? What is a 
day of weeping to ages of bliss ? Even if in this 



JOY. 517 

life piety gave nothing in lieu of what it takes 
away, and yet secured eternal life, it would be 
the height of wisdom to fear God and keep his 
commandments. 

2. It is a suspicious circumstance that this 
objection is never made by the people of God, 
but only by those who know not whereof they 
afi&rm. No enemy of God has any experience 
by which he could possibly be qualified to 
judge whether the exercises of piety are con- 
ducive to enjoyment. What does an uncon- 
verted man know of faith, penitence, hope, 
peace, or the comfort of love ? No more than 
a blind man knows of the colors of a rainbow ; 
no more than the dead man knows of the joy- 
ousness of life. The unrelenting sinner knows 
nothing of the beauties of holiness, nothing of 
joy in the Holy Ghost, nothing of the attrac- 
tions of Christ. To all such our Saviour is as 
a root out of a dry ground. To them his name 
has no music, nor is it as ointment poured 
forth. They are in darkness. They are blind. 
To those who cannot see, one painting has as 
few attractions as another. What do the deaf 
know of harmony ? To them thunder and the 
flute, the roar of the lion and the song of the 
nightingale are the same. 



518 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Here is a miser. His joy is in heaping up 
gold, counting it over, increasing it, and be- 
holding it with his eyes. A very sordid joy 
this is, but still it is a joy. Next neighbor to 
him lives the man who loves to feed the hun- 
gry, clothe the naked, bless his race, and make 
the widow's heart to sing for joy. See his 
eagerness and alacrity in doing good. His 
face beams with pleasure as he makes others 
glad. His dreams are of deeds of mercy. He 
rests not well unless he has done his best to 
make men happy, wise, and good. Then he 
sleeps as if he had nothing else to do. Is that 
miser a fit man to sit in judgment on this phi- 
lanthropist ? Can he weigh his deeds in the 
scale of sober truth, and tell the sum of all the 
joys that spring from a life of love ? No more 
can a sinner tell what joys a saint may have. 

3. This is the more certain as the joys of 
salvation consist of things invisible to the eye 
and unappreciable by any natural man. ''The 
secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, 
and he will show them his covenant." Com- 
munion with God is wholly secret. Even one 
Christian knows not except on testimony when 
the richest blessings descend upon his brother. 
The child of God says, 



JOY, 519 

In secret silence of the mind, 

My heaven, and there my God I find. 

Not SO the wicked. When they have much 
joy, they kindle bonfires, they fire cannon, 
they get up processions, and march about with 
music. They mingle in the dance with the 
sound of the viol. How can he whose mirth 
finds scope in noise and revelry, be a judge of 
him whose joys make him love his closet and 
lead him to "be still ?'^ Will mankind never 
learn the truth that true religion exposes not 
all to the gaze of uncircumcised men? Cecil 
says, " The joy of religion is an exorcist to the 
mind; it expels the demons of carnal mirth 
and madness." All Christians may adopt the 
language of one of the ancients: "We change, 
but do not lose real delights." Carnal men can 
never understand that saying of Augustine, 
"How sweet it is to want your sinful sweets." 

4. Moreover the joys of God's people are 
sober things. Even Seneca said, " True joy is 
a sereiie and sober motion; and they are mis- 
erably out that take laughing for rejoicing." 
All our best joys are somewhat sober. The 
purer and greater they are, the more will they 
partake of seriousness. The husbandman who 
sees his abundant harvests secured j the mer- 



520 VITAL GODLINESS. 

chant whose risks in honorable trade have 
returned him many fold ; the father whose 
child surpasses all his fond expectations; the 
teacher whose pupil is winning golden opin- 
ions from his generation — all have joys, but 
they are not to be expressed by laughter. 
Never does a noble father feel less like noisy 
merriment than when for the first time he hears 
the strains of a commanding eloquence poured 
forth from the lips of his darling son. So the 
joys of the saints are sober things. They are 
more : they are solemn ; they are the joys ' 
of the Lord. They spring from forgiveness of 
sins, from peace with God, from glorious views 
of the great and dreadful God, from fellowship 
with the Father and the Son, through the 
Holy Ghost. 

5. In true and great joy there is a calm- 
ness and stillness which men of the world do 
not understand. A little drop of joy in a hu- 
man mind will agitate it. But when the ful- 
ness of divine comforts is poured upon the 
heart, it is quiet. It sits, admires, adores, 
walks softly, and is afraid of losing its hold on 
God. Eeverence abounds in proportion to its 
joys. If a little joy makes one giddy, much 
will make him quiet ; it may even overwhelm 



JOY. 621 

him. For joy the disciples at first believed 
not the resurrection of Christ. 

6. Besides, the joy of a wicked man is 
either in sin or in God's changing creatures. 
But the joy of the pious is chiefly in things the 
most pure, permanent, and powerful. So that 
they ''rejoice evermore ;'' they even "rejoice 
in tribulation." If they have beyond most a 
keen sense and a sad experience of the ills of 
life, they have also a sovereign antidote. To 
them, as to others, affliction is not joyous, but 
grievous; nevertheless G-od reigns, Jesus lives, 
the covenant is ordered in all things and sure, 
and floods break forth to them in a dry and 
thirsty land where no water is, and thus they 
are made glad. It was not the unwashed 
stripes, nor the stocks, nor the innermost pris- 
on, nor midnight darkness, nor the gratuitous 
cruelty of the Philippian jailer, that made Paul 
and Silas sing praises unto God. These were 
all evils, and some of them very great griev- 
ances, but they could not drown the joys these 
holy men had in God through the hope of 
glory, and by the power of the eternal Spirit. 
When the Sun of righteousness arises in the 
soul with healing in his wings, midnight be- 
comes noon, prisons are transformed into pal- 



522 VITAL GODLINESS. 

aces, and rills of sorrow are transmuted into 
rivers of delight. Did the martyrs die like 
abjects ? Do real Christians weep and howl 
like the wicked when in trouble ? 

7. Add to this that all of us, even wicked 
men, have seen cases where joy expressed it- 
self by tears. It is often so when one returns 
home after long absence or great perils. It is 
often so when enmities are buried, and a rec- 
onciliation is effected between old friends who 
had been sundered by strife and feuds. Why 
should it not be so when reconciliation with 
Grod through Jesus Christ is effected ? Those 
tears of penitence which are shed by the child 
of Grod at the foot of the cross, are so sweet 
that he would fain weep them always. His 
gratitude often melts him down. Is thankful- 
ness in its highest exercises painful to the vir- 
tuous mind ? Grod's people may weep much 
without proving them unhappy. 

8. It is also true that the pious often weep 
over the wicked who are deriding them as mis- 
erable. They mourn to see men rushing head- 
long to ruin. For twenty years that pious, 
delicate, refined lady has wept for the sins 
and follies of her son, father, or husband. 
Tears have been her meat day and night, while 



JOY. 523 

he for whom they are shed seems more than 
ever bent on wickedness. She knows that un- 
less he is speedily and thoroughly changed, 
she must soon bid him an eternal farewell. In 
God she is happy ; by grace she is upheld. 
But rivers of water run down her eyes as she 
sees him sell himself to do evil. Long has she 
hoped for a change in his character ; but hope 
deferred makes her heart sick. Her spirit 
almost dies within her. She weeps in secret 
places. He surprises her in tears, and charges 
all her sadness to religion. His vileness and 
impenitence are the cause of the sorrows he 
sees. Were all men seeking the Lord and 
walking in his ways, the righteous w^oulcl not 
have half the griefs that now afflict them. Is 
it fair, is it just, by our wickedness to cover 
with sadness our best friends, and then to ac- 
cuse their piety as the cause of their sadness ? 
9. God's people have also cause of grief in 
their own hearts. They are but partially sanc- 
tified. They have a world of trouble, not with 
their personal holiness, but with their want of 
more entire conformity to God. It is not the 
new man, but the old man ; not the image of 
Christ, but the body of death that casts them 
down. 



524: VITAL GODLINESS. 

10. Finally, ''out of the mouth of two or 
three witnesses shall every word be estab- 
lished.'^ The witnesses in any matter must be 
both competent and credible. In the matter 
before us, God's people are capable of giving 
testimony. They have tried a life of sin, and 
found it vanity. They have tasted and seen 
that the Lord is gracious. They know both 
sides by experience. They can tell the truth 
if they will. And they are credible witnesses. 
The testimony of any two or three of millions 
of them would bring any man to prison or the 
gallows. What do these persons say ? With- 
out a dissenting voice in any age or country, 
they declare that "the ways of wisdom are 
ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are 
peace f that they choose ' ' to suffer affliction 
with the people of God, rather than enjoy the 
pleasures of sin for a season ;" that Christ is a 
good Master, and his service freedom and joy. 
They all sing, "Blessed are they that dwell in 
thy house; they will be still praising thee." 
The Bible is full of such testimonies. God 
would never command his people to "rejoice 
evermore," if they had no cause for joy. Un- 
inspired writers of all classes of God's people 
speak the same language with those who spoke 



JOY. 525 

as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Scrip- 
ture and Christian experience alike declare, 
'' True religion is joyful.'^ 

Haldane, on Eom. 5 : 2, says, "The Chris- 
tian should speak nothing boastingly so far as 
concerns himself, but he has no reason to con- 
ceal his sense of his high destination as a son 
of God and an heir of glory. In this he ought 
to exult, in this he ought to glor}^, and in obe- 
dience to his Lord's command, to rejoice be- 
cause his name is written in heaven. The hope 
of eternal salvation through the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ cannot but produce joy ; for 
as there can be no true joy without such a hope, 
so it carries with it the very essence of joy. '^ 

Matthew Henry said, " You have been 
used to take notice of the sayings of dying 
men ; this is mine. That a life spent in the ser- 
vice of God and communion with him, is the 
most comfortable and pleasant life that any one 
can live in this world.'' 

His distinguished sister Mrs. Savage, dy- 
ing, said, "I here leave the testimony of my 
experience, that Christ's yoke is easy, and his 
burden light." 

In his commentary on the Galatians, Luther 
says, " Where Christ is truly seen, there must 



526 VITAL GODLINESS. 

needs be full and perfect joy in the Lord, with 
peace of conscience.'^ 

Joseph Alleine said to his wife, "I live a 
voluptuous life ; but it is upon spiritual dain- 
ties, such as the world knows not and tastes 
not of." 

John Newton says, "I am sure the real 
Christian, who has peace with Grod and in his 
own conscience, has both the best title to joy 
and the best disposition for it." 

Evans says, ''It is the habitual and fixed 
judgment of every sincere Christian's mind, 
that Christ and his benefits are more to be 
rejoiced in than all worldly good." 

Dr. Barrow says, "It is a scandalous mis- 
prision, vulgarly admitted, concerning religion, 
that it is altogethjer sullen and sour, requiring 
a dull, lumpish, morose kind of life, barring all 
delight, all mirth, all good-humor; whereas, 
on the contrary, it alone is the never-failing 
source of true, pure, steady joy, such as is 
deep-rooted in the heart, immovably founded 
in the reason of things, permanent like the im- 
mortal spirit wherein it dwelleth and like the 
eternal objects whereon it is fixed, which is not 
apt to fade or cloy, and is not subject to any 
impressions apt to corrupt or impair it." 



JOY. 627 

It is a very noticeable fact, that true piety 
promotes joyiulness just in proportion as it is 
fervent, constant, and full of devout meditation. 
Bishop Home having finished his commentary 
on the Psalms, and calling to mind the sweet 
thoughts he had had of God, says, " And now, 
could the author flatter himself that any one 
would take half the pleasure in reading the fol- 
lowing exposition which he hath taken in writ- 
ing it, he would not fear the loss of his labor. 
The employment detached him from the bustle 
and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the 
noise of folly ; vanity and vexation flew away 
for a season, care and disquietude came not 
near his dwelling. He arose fresh as the morn- 
ing to his task ; the silence of the night invited 
him to pursue it; and he can truly say that 
food and rest were not preferred before it. 
Every psalm improved infinitely upon his ac- 
quaintance with it, and no one gave him uneasi- 
ness but the last ; for then he grieved that his 
work was done. Happier hours than those 
which have been spent in these meditations on 
the songs of Zion he never expects to see in this 
world. Yery pleasantly did they pass, and 
moved smoothly and swiftly along; for when 
thus engaged, he counted no time. They are 



528 VITAL GODLINESS. 

gone, but have left a relish and a fragrance 
upon the mind, and the remembrance of them 
is sweet." In his commentary on the Romans, 
Dr. Chalmers quotes the above as ''an actual 
specimen of heaven upon earth as enjoyed for 
a season of devotional contemplation on the 
word of Grod.'^ 

When such sentiments are rehearsed in the 
audience of God's people, they win their hearty 
and unanimous approbation. Are not all these 
witnesses to be believed? Who knows the 
truth, if they do not? Why do they thus 
agree, if they speak not the truth ? What mo- 
tive have they for giving false testimony ? 

All these views are heightened by a just 
comparison of the joys of the wicked and of the 
righteous, so far as they are different. For the 
righteous are not cut off from lawful delights 
even here ; and the joys of all the wicked are 
strongly mixed with pains. ''Many sorrows 
shall be to the wicked," says Grod. And al- 
though for a long time the enemies of Grod may 
seem joyful, may have great outward prosper- 
ity, may be very skilful in concealing their 
wounds, yet it is still true that "the wicked" 
have "many sorrows." 

Their consciences are ill at ease. This is 



JOY. 629 

true of all God's enemies. In the checks and 
clamors and forebodings of the monitor within 
are found present sorrows and infallible tokens 
of coming wrath. A man had better quarrel 
with his generation than with his conscience 
and his God. The righteous have peace with 
God, and their consciences are purged from 
dead works. 

The wicked are sources of sorrow to each 
other. There are many aspirants for every 
post of honor, many rivals for preeminence in 
every profession, and many haughty despisers 
of the unfortunate and unsuccessful. Both in 
this life and the next, the wicked often tor- 
ment each other. The righteous have pleasure 
in each other. 

No amount of worldly success can ever saU 
isfy the demands of wicked men. Their am- 
bition, pride, covetousness, revenge, and envy 
burn the more vehemently the more they are 
gratified. To indulge them is to give them 
new power. They kindle a terrific, torment- 
ing flame in every bosom, which is never ex- 
tinguished but by the grace of God. ''In all 
worldly joys there is a secret wound." But 
sin has lost its dominion over God's people. 
The truth has made them free. The Son of 

VlUl OodllueM 23 



530 VITAL GODLINESS. 

God has ^Yrougllt their deliverance. The very 
truths of religion, which gladden the hearts of 
believers, are sources of sorrow to the wicked. 
It is pleasing to the righteous, but dismal to 
the wicked, that this life will soon be over. 
It rejoices the humble, but afflicts the haughty, 
to know that God resisteth the proud and will 
surely abase them. The resurrection of the 
dead and the general judgment, two events 
quite essential to the completeness of Christian 
joy, are among the most gloomy of all topics 
of reflection to the wicked. The Lord reigns, 
says God's word, and the righteous shouts for 
joy ; while the wicked says, " If that be so, my 
doom is sealed, and my damnation certain. '^ 

The wicked are not secured, but plagued 
by the covenant, promises, and perfections of 
God. Is God almighty ? then he can destroy 
them. Is he righteous ? then he will mark in- 
iquity. Is he kind? they have provoked his 
displeasure by despising his mercy. •'Is he 
faithful and true ? his threatenings will as cer- 
tainly be executed as his promises. 

Then the wicked are against themselves. 
They are self-destroyers. They hate life, and 
refuse good. They give their souls the wounds 
they feel. They stand in their own light. They 



JOY. 631 

fasten their own chains upon themselves. They 
will /or ever do what many of them often do 
here ; that is, curse their own folly. 

And all nature is against them. The stars 
in their courses fight against them. Yea, " the 
stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam 
out of the timber shall answer it.'^ The fowls 
of the mountain, the beasts of the field, the 
serpents in the wall, and all the elements are 
ready at any moment to break out against the 
wicked, whenever God shall give them per- 
mission. 

And their best joys are so short-lived. 
'' As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is 
the laughter of the fool." Eccl. 7 : 6. "The 
time is short. It remaineth that both they that 
have wives be as though they had none, and 
they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not." 
1 Cor. 7 : 29, 30. And the end of their joys 
is sorrow, and the end of their sorrow is wail- 
ing and howling. So that always, in all worlds, 
" their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the 
fields of Gomorrah ; their grapes are grapes of 
gall, their clusters are bitter ; their wine is the 
poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps. 
Is not this laid up in store" for them? The 
joys of the righteous, on the other hand, are 



532 VITAL GODLINESS. 

pure. They never cloy the appetite. They 
are salutary, and do good as a medicine. They 
last. They outlast the sun. Where the joy 
of the saints begins to be absolutely perfect, 
there the joy of sinners ends for ever. 

" See their sliort course of vain delight 
Closing in everlasting night." 

the impenetrable gloom of despair! that 
night which will have no morning! 

The objects of Christian joy are clearly set 
forth in Scripture. The chief of these is God 
himself. So says David, ''I will go unto the 
altar of Grod, unto Grod my exceeding joy.'^ 
Psa. 43 : 3. Paul says, ''And not only so, but 
we joy in Grod.'^ Eom. 5:11. Again, ''Re- 
joice in the Lord always; and again I say, 
rejoice." Phil. 4:4. Isaiah says, "I will 
greatly rejoice in the Lord ; my soul shall be 
joyful in my Grod ; for he hath clothed me with 
the garments of salvation ; he hath covered me 
with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom 
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride 
adorneth herself with her jewels." Isa. 61 : 10. 
In Psalm 5:11, we read, "Let all those that 
put their trust in thee rejoice ; let them ever 
shout for joy, because thou defendest them; 
let them also that love thy name be joyful in 



JOY. 633 

thee." So also in many other places we are 
exhorted and commanded to rejoice in the 
Lord. Above all, God is fitted to be an ob- 
ject of unfailing jov, because he is God, infi- 
nite, eternal, and unchangeable in all conceiv- 
able perfections. The fulness that is in him 
meets all our wants. The pious delight in 
God; so that prayer, which would otherwise 
be a task, and praise, which would otherwise 
be a mockery, are refreshing to the soul as it 
cries, "Abba, Father,'^ and "Hallelujah." In 
like manner all the duties of the Christian life 
become pleasant by our joy in God. Our 
Eock is perfect. In himjs no darkness at all. 
He is an ocean of love, an infinitude of match- 
less loveliness. When he speaks peace, noue 
can give trouble. "When he makes glad, none 
can give sorrow. The mind of the child of 
God has no more fears that the resources 
which are in God will ever fail, than the mar- 
iner has that the sea will go dry. There is 
none like Jehovah, none before him, none with 
him, none to be compared to him, none besides 
him. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is a special object of 
joy. "Whom, having not seen, ye love; in 
whom, though now ye see him not, yet believ- 



534: VITAL GODLINESS. 

ing, ye rejoice witli joy unspeakable and full 
of glory. '^ 1 Pet. 1 : 8. None like him gives 
''the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment 
of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Isa. 
61 : 3. This joy, of which Christ is the object, 
is founded upon his person, his design in com- 
ing into the world, the perfection of his obe- 
dience, the completeness of his sufferings, the 
excellence of his doctrine, the virtue of his 
blood-shedding, the spotlessness and amplitude 
of his righteousness^ the glory of his interces- 
sion, the perpetuity of his kingdom, the blessed 
provisions of the covenant of which he is the 
surety, the justification, adoption, sanctifica- 
tion, peace with God, access to the mercy-seat, 
communion with the Father, growth in grace, 
and final victory accomplished through our 
blessed Saviour. Truly ''this is life eternal, 
to know Grod, and Jesus Christ whom he has 
sent." " Christ was set for a light to the Gen- 
tiles, that he should be for salvation to the 
ends of the earth." Acts 13 : 47. Would you 
avail yourself of all the fulness and fatness 
that are here? "Consider the apostle and 
high-priest of your profession, Christ Jesus." 
Set your faith steadfastly in him. Say with 
Peter, "We believe and are sure that thou art 



JOY. 535 

that Christ, the Son of the living God.'' John 
6 : 69. Your joy in Christ will ever be pro- 
portioned to your faith in him. Christ is 
never truly revealed to the soul of a believer, 
but he is made more or less joyful in him. It 
is so in the first dawn of a good hope ; it is so 
in fuller manifestations of his glory ; it is so in 
the day when Christ leads the soul into his 
banqueting-house, and his banner over it is 
love. Then its language is, ''Stay me with 
flagons, comfort me with apples ; for I am sick 
of love." 

In like manner the third person of the G od- 
head is an object of joy. So Paul declares 
that ' ' the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, 
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost." Eom. 14:17. Joy in the Holy 
Ghost may chiefly signify joy by the power 
and grace of the Spirit. But even then this 
language would not be used in a case where 
one despised that blessed person. No man has 
joy worth having without the Spirit; and no 
man has the Spirit who holds him in contempt. 
The Spirit gives holy delight in holy things. 

Christians also rejoice in God's providence. 
'The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice; let 
the multitude of the isles be glad thereof." 



536 VITAL GODLINESS. 

They also delight in the house of God, and cry, 
"How amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord of 
hosts. '^ In the associated people of God, his 
church, they also rejoice, saying, "If I forget 
thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget 
her cunning; if I do not remember thee, let 
my tongue cleave to the roof of m}^ mouth ; if I 
prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Psa. 
137 : 5, 6. In his word too they have great 
joy. David said, "Thy testimonies are the 
rejoicing of my heart." "How sweet are thy 
words to my taste; yea, sweeter than honey 
to my mouth." Psa. 119 : 103. So God's peo- 
ple rejoice in all that pertains to God, all that 
is pleasing to him, all that makes th^m like 
him. 

If these views be correct, then it follows, 
1. That the knowledge of divine things is 
very necessary to the existence and completion 
of a true Christian character. Charnock says, 
"Who can delight in God that hath no sense 
of the goodness of his nature and the happiness 
of fruition ? Who can delight in his ways who 
does not understand him as good and indulgent 
in his precepts as he is sweet and bountiful 
in his promises? If we did know him, we 
should be as easily drawn to rejoice in him, as 



JOY. 537 

by ignorance we are induced to run from him. 
Such charms would be transmitted to our hearts 
as would constrain a joy in them in spite of all 
other delights in perishing pleasures. Know- 
ledge of God is a necessary preface to spiritual 
joy in him. 'My meditation of him shall be 
sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.' Psalm 
104 : 34. . . . What pleasure can a man, igno- 
rant of God's nature and delightful perfections, 
and that represents him through some mis- 
taken gloss which imprints unworthy notions 
of God in his mind — what pleasure can such a 
man take in approaching to God, or what great- 
er freedom can he have in coming to him, than 
a malefactor in being brought before a judge?" 
Let the knowledge of God therefore dwell in 
you richly in all wisdom and spiritual under- 
standing. If you would be more joyful, know 
more of divine things. "Acquaint thyself 
with God, and be at peace." "Search the 
Scriptures." 

2. Our joy need not be feeble and sickty, 
but provision is made that it may be ample. 
Even when sorrowful, we may be always re- 
joicing. 2 Cor. 6:10. Men may persecute 
and defame us ; but this is our rejoicing, the 
testimony of our consciences. 2 Cor. 1 : 12. 

23^^ 



538 VITAL GODLINESS. 

"We may be exceedingly glad in the duties of 
religion, and find it good to draw near to God. 
If kept from uniting with his people in public 
worship, he himself can be to us for a little 
sanctuary. When the springs of earthly com- 
fort go dry, then to the believer ''the parched 
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty 
land springs of water.'^ Isa. 35 : 7. When we 
are denied the things of the world, we may 
rejoice in the assurance of a better and more 
enduring substance. When every thing looks 
dark and discouraging for the interests of 
religion, then we may rejoice in knowing that 
Jesus Christ loves the church better than we 
do, and that she is graven on the palms of his 
hands. Our joy may go so far as to make us 
glory in tribulation. It can keep us from re- 
gretting that we have undertaken the service 
of Christ; so that the more we are tried, the 
more it will be manifest that we cleave to him 
with purpose of heart ; and though we may be 
weary in his service, we are not weary of his 
service. 

3. True holy joy is one of the most opera- 
tive of all the gifts of the Spirit. Nothing will 
more certainly or thoroughly arouse men to 
do their utmost for the cause of G-od. Paul 



JOY. 539 

testifies of the church of Macedonia, that "in 
a great trial of afiiiction, the abundance of their 
joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the 
riches of their liberality." 2 Cor. 8 : 2. Yea, 
he declares that their joy made them willing 
to do more than it was in their power to do. 
This holy joy is the animating principle of true 
obedience. Thus "David and the elders of 
Israel, and the captains over thousands, went 
to bring up the ark of the covenant of the 
Lord out of the house of Obed-edom with joy.'' 
1 Chron. 15 : 25. Thus in the days of Ezra 
holy men "kept the dedication of the house of 
God with joy." Ezra 6: 16. So says Isaiah, 
"The meek shall increase their joy in the 
Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice 
in the Holy One of Israel." Iga. 29 : 19. 

Indeed the human mird is so constituted 
as to be easily and powerfully moved by all 
the class of pleasing affections, of which none 
is more powerful than joy. And so we uni- 
formly find men to be happy whose lives are 
given up to labor for the good of others. Their 
holy delight in deeds of mercy leads them to 
lives of self-denial, and this exercise of their 
loving dispositions strengthens them. Among 
the many thousands of letters I have received, 



540 VITAL GODLINESS. 

not a few have been from missionaries in fron- 
tier settlements and in heathen lands; and 
although some of them have detailed painful 
scenes, yet I do not remember one that was in 
a despondent mood. So wherever you find 
one animated by the spirit of Howard or of 
Elizabeth Fry, you invariably find them of a 
happy temper. 

Their converts were to the apostles a joy 
and a crown. Paul says to some, "Now we 
live, if ye stand fast." Even stripes and pris- 
ons and chains could not repress the ardor of 
holy men of old. They were not sent a war- 
fare at their own charges. Grod was with them. 

4. This subject explains to us how the peo- 
ple of God are brought to bear so well the 
losses, sorrows, bereavements, and disappoint- 
ments of life. 

"Joy never feasts so high 
As when the first course is of misery." 

The highest joy to the Christian almost always 
comes through suffering. ' ' No flower can bloom 
in paradise which is not transplanted from 
Gethsemane. No one can taste of the fruit of 
the tree of life that has not tasted of the fruits 
of the tree of Calvary." God^s people know 
this. If tears are their meat day and night, 



JOY. 541 

their sadness drives them to God, and with joy 
they draw water out of the wells of salvation. 
Isa. 12: 3. The crops may fail, but the cove- 
nant stands sure. We and all nature may 
change, but God is the same. To those who 
put their trust in him, he is without intermis- 
sion Father, Friend, God, Eedeemer, Saviour, 
Comforter, Portion, and eternal All ; and so he 
Avill continue for ever. He who has God for 
his God, ought not to be cast down because the 
world casts him out. He who has such joys, 
ought not to be humbly begging the world for 
its favor, nor seeking a slice from the loaf of 
ungodly men. He who cares not for eternal 
things, may busy himself to be in fashion here ; 
but Avhen the joy of the Lord is our strength, 
we ought not to grieve at little things. Thus 
saith the Lord, "Strengthen ye the weak hands, 
and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them 
that are of a fearful heart. Be strong, fear not : 
behold, your God will come with vengeance, 
even God with a recompense; he will come 
and save you." Isa. 35 : 3, 4. In all the right- 
eous is more or less fulfilled the prophecy: 
"The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and 
come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy 
upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and 



542 VITAL GODLINESS. 

gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee 
away.'' Isa. 35 : 10. 

Nor are they glad for nothing. There are 
no comforts, no cordials, no delights like those 
which God gives to his well-beloved. To the 
blind world all religious joys may seem like 
enthusiasm ; but the human mind is never more 
sound, its operations are never more safe than 
when in holy triumph the people of God take 
joyfully the spoiling of their goods, or are filled 
with ecstasy at the suffering of reproach for the 
name of Christ. The hosannas and hallelujahs 
of the house of God on earth are as seasonable 
and as reasonable as those of the temple not 
made with hands. It is an apostolic direction, 
''Is any merry, let him sing psalms." We 
have apostolic example also for singing praises 
to God in the most trying circumstances. Paul 
says, *' We faint not; but though our outward 
man perish, yet the inward man is renewed 
day by day. For our light affliction, which is 
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while 
we look not at the things which are temporal, 
but at the things which are eternal." 2 Cor. 
4 : 16-18. It has long since been determined 
in the church that it is better to suffer for 



JOY. 543 

Christ, if he will give strength and joy, than 
to live in ease and quiet. The hotter the battle, 
the more renowned the victory. The harder 
the labor, the sweeter the rest. The darker 
the night, the more joyous the morning. 

5. It is wise to be religious, to be strictly, 
earnestly, scrip turally religious. All the doc- 
trines of revealed religion are true, safe for 
man, honorable to God. All the duties of true 
religion are reasonable and ennobling. Christ 
is no hard Master ; he requires nothing de- 
grading. In the progress of revolution, Napo- 
leon Buonaparte judged it necessary to divorce 
the wife of his youth. In accomplishing this 
object he required her son to act a part, and 
publicly declare his approbation of the meas- 
ure while all the time his heart was burning 
with rage at the atrocity perpetrated against 
his mother. Here was real degradation. Je- 
sus Christ has sometimes called his people to 
die for him, but he never asked one of his ser- 
vants to do a mean thing, a thing which made 
him gnaw his tongue for resentment, and yet 
to profess that all was necessary. No ; he im- 
poses no duties but those which will elevate 
our character for ever. 

The prospects opened before the truly pious 



544 VITAL GODLINESS. 

are no less pleasing than their duties. It is 
not denied that there are conflicts and sharp 
sorrows in the service of God ; but even they 
end in the greater joys. An old writer says, 
*'Grive me a man that, after many secret stings 
and hard conflicts in his breast, upon a serious 
penitence and sense of reconciliation with his 
Grod, hath attained to a quiet heart and is walk- 
ing humbly and closely with God ; I shall bless 
and emulate him as a subject of true joy ; for 
spiritually there never is a perfect calm but 
after a tempest. . . . Set me at full variance 
with myself, that I may be at peace with thee, 
God." Nothing but a true and powerful 
religious principle could have made Paul, in 
the depths of his sufferings, say, ''I am filled 
with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our 
tribulation.'' 2 Cor. 7 : 4. 

6. It is the duty of all God's people so to 
live that they may enjoy religion. Much has 
been done for them ; they ought to make 
much of it. Many and great things have been 
granted them ; many and great thanks should 
be rendered by them. Unless our religion 
makes us to some extent joyful, it quite fails 
of its object. Frgm this remark we should 
except cases of deep melancholy. Poor Cow* 



JOY. 545 

per exclaimed, ''I arise in the morning like an 
infernal frog ou,t of Acheron, covered with the 
ooze and mud of melancholy.^' Again, "Could 
I be translated to Paradise, unless I could 
leave my body behind me, my melancholy 
would cleave to me there.'' Although tem- 
pests, earthquakes, and shattered nerves are 
not under the absolute control of either reason 
or religion, yet blessed be God that he has 
spoken many kind things to the timid, the fee- 
ble-minded, and the sorrowing; so that if dis- 
ease allows the mind any fair play, the pious 
have at least seasons of sunshine. 

Jesus Christ said that his teachings were 
designed to make his people happy. ''These 
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy 
might remain in you, and that your joy might 
be full." Again, "These things I speak in the 
world, that they might have my joy fulfilled 
in themselves." John 15 : 11 ; 17 : 3. John 
says the same: "These things write we unto 
you, that your joy may be full." 1 John 1 : 4. 
So that if we have no religious enjoyment, it 
is either because we have no religion or but 
little religion, or because w^e are sadly afflicted 
and diseased. True piety is as sure to have 
joy, as it is to have penitence or faith in it. 



54.Q VITAL GODLINESS. 

'' The fruit of the Spirit is pjJ' Gal. 5 : 22. 
''They that sow in tears, shall,'' sooner or later, 
''reap in joy." Psa. 126 : 5. Satan may tempt, 
providences may look dark, friends may grow 
cold, faith may be weak, disease may enfeeble 
and for a time bury the mind in a cloud, but 
whenever reason reascends the throne and 
grace resumes her sway, there will be joy. 
Christians, labor to be happy. Strive to com- 
mend your religion by being well ' ' anointed 
with the oil of gladness." 

7. This subject specially invites our atten- 
tion to heavenly things. God's people have 
real satisfaction here, but in his infmediate 
"presence is fulness of joy; at his right hand 
are pleasures for evermore." Psa. 16 : 11. 
God's people through life long to be clothed 
upon with their house which is from heaven. 
And so "when desire cometh, it is a tree of 
life." Prov. 13 : 12. In that blessed world 
sin, temptation, sorrow, sickness, and death 
have no place. Faith is swallowed up in sight, 
and hope in enjoyment. Ignorance gives place 
to perfect knowledge. Here the soul had long 
said of God, "Whom have I in heaven but 
thee ? and there is none upon earth that I de- 
sire besides thee." There it sees his full glories 



JOY. 547 

revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, and is 
satisfied to all eternity in the visions of uncre- 
ated splendors. One of the ancients said, 
"Praise the sweetness of honey as much as 
thou canst, he who has never tasted it cannot 
understand the matter.'' The same is true of 
holy joys on earth, and much more of the per- 
fect joys of heaven. Of the latter God gives 
his people a foretaste in the comforts of the 
Holy Grhost, which he dispenses here. It is 
true they are but as a few clusters from the 
vintage of Canaan, but they are enough to 
whet our appetite for the abundant and unmin- 
gled blessings of the spirits of just men made 
perfect. 

Leigh ton says, ''When we shall receive 
that rich and pure and abiding inheritance, 
that salvation which shall be revealed in the 
last time, and when time itself shall cease to 
be, then there shall be no more reckoning of 
our joys by days and hours, but they shall run 
parallel with eternity. Then all our love, 
that is now parcelled out upon the vanities 
among which we are here, shall be united and 
gathered into one and fixed upon God, and the 
soul shall be filled with the delight of his pres- 
ence.'' 



548 VITAL GODLINESS. 

One of Bunyan's dying sayings was, " Oh, 
who is able to conceive the inexpressible and 
inconceivable joys that are in heaven ? None 
but they who have tasted of them. Lord, help 
US to put such a value upon them here, that in 
order to prepare ourselves for them, we may 
be willing to forego the loss of all deluding 
pleasures here." Another was, "If you would 
be better satisfied what the beatifical vision 
means, my request is that you would live ho- 
lily and go and see." Bishop Hall saj^s, "My 
soul, while it is thus clogged and confined, is 
too strait to conceive of those incomprehen- 
sible and spiritual delights which thou, God, 
hast provided for thy chosen ones who triumph 
with thee in heaven. Oh teach me then to 
wonder at that which I cannot attain to know, 
and to long for that happiness which I there 
hope to enjoy with thee for ever." 

Meikle thus contrasts the present and the 
future life. He says, " In this life I may have 
at times a mortal health ; but in that I shall 
have always eternal vigor. In this life I may 
have some tainted pleasures ; but in that I shall 
have always pure delights and holy raptures. 
In this life I may have at times a few friends 
for a few days ; but in that I shall have always 



JOY. 549 

all ray friends about rae for ever. In this life 
I may have at times some acres of ground ; but 
in that I shall have always an unbounded in- 
heritance in the heavenly Canaan. Here fine 
clothing of wool ; there robes of righteousness 
and garments of glory. Here a house painted 
with vermilion; there 'a house not made with 
hands.' Here bread to eat and water to drink j 
there the hidden manna and the river of life. 
Here a portion of the good things of time; 
there the glorious treasures of eternity. 

''As to spiritual good things, in this life I 
may have communications of grace ; but in that 
life I shall have eternal glory. Here freedom 
from the reign of sin ; there deliverance from 
the being of sin. Here glances of faith ; there 
immediate vision. Here God in his ordi- 
nances ; there uninterrupted communion. Here 
manifestations of love ; there all the transports 
of eternal assurance and everlasting bliss. 
Here access to the throne of grace ; there un- 
interrupted attendance at the throne of glory. 
Here I often sin against God; there I shall 
never offend the eyes of his glory. Here I go 
mourning without the sun ; there my sun shall 
go down no more." 

And so he carries the contrast entirely 



550 VITAL GODLINESS. 

through. Whatever evil you have here, you 
shall have the opposite good in heaven. What- 
ever good thing you have here, you shall have 
the same in perfection, or something far bet- 
ter, at Grod's right hand. To go to heaven is 
to " enter into the joy of thy Lord." 



ZEAL. 551 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

ZEAL. 

"Zeal is the fire of love, 
Active for duty, burning as it flies." 

Zeal is ardor, and is good or bad accord- 
ing to the principles from which it flows and 
the end to which it is directed. It is the life 
of every cause dependent on human exertions. 
The habits and tempers of men control its 
modes of operation. In religion its impor- 
tance is very great, and its nature should be 
well understood. The Scriptures give pre- 
cepts and examples, motives and encourage- 
ments on the whole subject. 

So soon as the word zeal is pronounced, 
some seem alarmed. Men of the world and 
formalists speak much and feel more against 
all ardor in religion. ' ' The natural man re- 
ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.'' 
Some say, "If the Christian religion is true, 
why do its avowed friends manifest so little 
zeal in maintaining and propagating it ?" This 
solemn inquiry admits of but one solution, 
namely, The best of men are but half awake. 



552 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Imperfection mars all human virtue here be- 
low. In all things we come short. Yet the 
very men who start such questions will, upon 
a turn, put the brand of fanaticism on all who 
manifest a lively interest in the salvation of 
men. Cecil says, ''The world will allow a 
vehemence approaching to ecstasy on almost 
every subject but religion, which above all 
others will justify it." The real temper of 
wicked men is unchanged from generation to 
generation. As in the days of John the Bap- 
tist and of Christ, they are still like the chil- 
dren in the market-place. If we pipe, they 
will not dance. If we mourn, they will not 
lament. We must look elsewhere than to the 
world for rules of pious living, for guides to 
holiness. Even the visible church of Grod falls 
far below the true standard of holy fervency 
demanded in religion. 

It is readily conceded that there is false 
zeal manifested for religion. The word of God 
so teaches. "They zealously affect you, but 
not well.'' Gal. 4 : 17. Of old Jehovah said, 
" Ephraim hath mixed himself among the peo- 
ple; Ephraim is a cake not turned." Here 
God admits that in some things his servant 
wa,s strict and zealous. In others no less im- 



ZEAL. 653 

portant, he was lax and cold. His zeal was 
partial, and so was deficient. In our Saviour's 
day, many showed much ardor in tithing mint, 
anise, and cummin ; they passed over faith, 
justice, mercy, and the love of God. They 
strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel. 
They made much ado about light things, but 
had no zeal for weighty things. What they 
did was in itself right, but what they left un- 
done was indispensable. The religion of hyp- 
ocrites is never symmetrical. It despises di- 
vine rules. Its code of laws is eclectic. It 
never submits to the whole will of Heaven. 

All zeal which has for its object any thing 
forbidden in the oracles of God, as all will- 
worship and uncommanded austerities, is a 
false zeal. Something of this nature often en- 
ters largely into false religions. Human inven- 
tions in religion are multiform, and always dan- 
gerous. Admit one as any part of true piety, 
and there is no end to error and man's devices. 
God's word condemns a superstitious zeal. 
Before his conversion, Paul was "more ex- 
ceedingly zealous of the traditions of his fa- 
thers" than "many his equals" in other re- 
spects. The world has always been and still 
is overstocked with a blind veneration for 

vital OodllDesf". 24 



554 VITAL GODLINESS. 

much that has been devised by man. The 
more of this kind of zeal any one has, the worse 
man is he. The priests of Baal " cried aloud, 
and cut themselves after their manner with 
knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out 
upon them." They were very zealous, and yet 
abominably wicked. Many a man is the worse 
citizen, neighbor, husband, father, brother, and 
friend, because his spurious zeal has perverted 
even the generous instincts of his nature. 

The Scriptures condemn all blind zeal. 
They require every man to be fully persuaded 
in his own mind. Hooker says, "Zeal need- 
eth a sober guide." He who has no "reason 
of the hope that is in him" is self-deceived. 
The terrible rebuke of Christ to the Samari- 
tans, " Ye worship ye know not what," should 
alarm fiery zealots. Ignorance was a radical 
fault in the ardor of the Jews in apostolic times. 
Paul gives witness to their zeal for God, but 
adds that it was not according to knowledge. 
' ' For they being ignorant of God's righteous- 
ness, and going about to establish their own 
righteousness, have not submitted themselves 
to the righteousness of God." They put the 
law where they should place the gospel. They 
ignored the merits of Christ. 



ZEAL. 555 

Sometimes zeal is contentious, and so be- 
trays its spurious nature. Some build church- 
es, endow asylums, defend the truth, yea, 
"preach Christ of contention, but not sin- 
cerely." Good to man and glory to Grod may 
be brought out of their labors ; but they shall 
have no divine reward. Their works shall be 
burned up, and they shall suffer loss. Alas, 
how many forget that the wrath of man work- 
eth not the righteousness of God. The great- 
est error of Paul before his conversion was, 
that "touching zeal, he persecuted the church." 
No darker sign can attend a religious profes- 
sion than a cruel, supercilious, denunciatory 
spirit. "Bless, and curse not." "As we have 
opportunity, let us do good unto all men." ' ' In 
meekness instructing those that oppose them- 
selves." 

Sometimes zeal is ostensibly for religion, 
but really for selfish ends. It will serve itself 
or a party, but not Christ. Men have com- 
passed sea and land to make one proselyte, 
who, when made, was worse than before. His 
conversion was not to God, to duty, to holi- 
ness, to obedience. Those who plied him with 
means and arguments never desired his sanc- 
tification ; they wanted his name and influ 



556 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ence. In every age are found some professors 
of religion who rejoice more at making a pros- 
elyte than a convert; who are more pleased 
at seducing an unstable soul out of another into 
their own communion, than in plucking a brand 
from the everlasting burnings. This is indeed 
sad. Let such learn what manner of spirit 
they are of. 

Zeal is often boastful and ostentatious. 
Jehu said, '' Come with me, and see my zeal 
for the Lord of hosts." The old Pharisees 
sounded a trumpet before them when they were 
about to give alms; and for a pretence, they 
made long prayers. Even in pious men there 
is often a mixture of motives ; and vanity comes 
in to mar their good works. 

Sometimes zeal which otherwise appears 
well is but temporary, and so proves its spuri- 
ous nature. At one time the Gralatians would, 
if possible, have given their eyes to the man 
who was the means of their conversion. They 
seemed to begin in the spirit, but they ended 
in the flesh. They were soon turned aside. 
Their zeal did not last. They did run well 
for a time, but by and by they were hindered. 
They counted as an enemy the man who told 
them the truth. With their ardor they lost 



ZEAL. 657 

also their comfort in religion, so that Paul 
says to them, " Where is the blessedness ye 
spake of?'' 

In some «cases zeal betrays its spurious 
character by the self-righteousness which it 
engenders. Christ taught his disciples, saying, 
•' When ye have done all these things which 
are commanded you, say. We are unprofitable 
servants ; we have done that which it was our 
duty to do.'' But some come away from the 
most solemn acts of devotion puffed up with 
pride, and ready to say to others, "Stand by 
thyself, come not near to me ; for I am holier 
than thou." Of such God says, "These are a 
smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the 
day. I will recompense into their bosom." 
Isa. 65 :5. "What hast thou that thou hast 
not received?" "Not unto us, not unto us, 
but to thy name give glory." " From me is 
thy fruit found." 

But there is a true, and scriptural zeal. All 
fervor in religion is not rash, blind, boastful, 
contentious, superstitious, temporary, or self- 
righteous. Genuine zeal is " the wisdom that 
is from above," and " is first pure, then peace- 
able, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy 
and good fruits, without partiality, and without 



558 VITAL GODLINESS. 

hypocrisy." Jas. 3 : 17. True zeal has no by- 
ends. Its principle and its aim are holiness. 
It leads to purity. For peace it will give up 
every thing but truth and a goo4 conscience. 
It wars not after the flesh. It rejects carnal 
weapons. It is full of courtesy, candor, and 
kindness. It forbears. It forgives. It pities. 
It yields to reasonable arguments and sugges- 
tions. It is not obstinate. It hates malice. It 
loves mercy. Its fruits are wholesome and 
healthful. It pours blessings both on its ob- 
jects and its subjects, on its friends and its foes. 
It cares not for vain distinctions which men of 
the world regard ; but without partiality, with- 
out respect of persons, it does good to all men, 
especially to the household of faith. It is un- 
unfeigned. It feels all it professes, and more. 
It dotes not ''about questions and strifes of 
words whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, 
evil-surmisings, and perverse disputings.'^ Its 
zeal is for the simple truth. True zeal is not 
light without heat; yet it is modest. If God 
be glorified and his cause advanced, it is will- 
ing to remain unnoticed. It is ready to con- 
tend earnestly, but not bitterly, for the truth. 
If it falls into error, it is not incorrigible. It 
is moved with alacrity, but not hurried by 



ZEAL. 659 

impetuosity. It leaves a sweet savor on the 
minds of all the pious. It seeks not its own. 
Its glory is to glorify God. Its happiness is 
to make others blessed. It loves rich and 
poor, and delights in blessing the bond and the 
free. It weeps over human wickedness. It 
rejoices in all truth, in all goodness. 

Though mild and meek, it is not timid and 
cringing. When the enemy comes in like a 
flood, the Lord lifts up a standard against him 
in the person of his humble people. Then ''the 
righteous are as bold as a lion." The servant 
of God is firm, not by his natural strength, 
but through the grace that is given unto him. 

This zeal lasts ; it is not fickle. It is a fire 
fed by the oil poured into the heart by the 
Holy Ghost. It loves its toils, and even its 
sufferings for Christ and his people. Its meat 
and its drink is to do and to suffer the will of 
God. It is different from any principle which 
governs the men of the world. It is enlight- 
ened; it is ''wisdom.'^ It hates vainglory. It 
is strongest when self is most out of view. It 
finds its aliment in a lively faith in the lively 
oracles. It hopes against hope. Because it 
springs from love to Christ, it fears not self- 
denial. In no case is it indeed perfect. This 



660 VITAL GODLINESS. 

keeps the most zealous good men in an humble 
frame. There is probably more true zeal in 
the church of God than is sometimes supposed 
to exist ; yet there is far less than the miseries 
of men, the love of Christ, and the glory of 
Grod imperatively demand. 

The ways in which a genuine zeal may 
exert itself are many. It does not forget its 
own immortal interests. He whose heart is 
warmed with lire from heaven, does not neg- 
lect his own soul, but keeps his heart with all 
diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. 
Like Henry Martyn, he says, ''My first great 
business on earth is the sanctification of my 
own soul.'' The first step towards doing good 
is to be good. It is a sad spectacle when we 
see men busy here and there, but caring not 
to make their own calling and election sure. 
It is mournful when a man is constrained to 
take up the lamentation, ''They made me the 
keeper of the vineyards, but mine own vine- 
yard have I not kept." We are never more 
mistaken than when we imagine ourselves 
called upon to do some duty which interferes 
with the cultivation of personal piety. Our 
blessed Saviour has set us a good example in 
this respect. Though he was charged with the 



ZEAL. 561 

business of redeeming a world, and though he 
knew that his personal ministry on earth would 
be very short, yet he never neglected commun- 
ion with God. He spent whole nights in de- 
votion. The zeal of God's house consumed 
him. None walked with God so closely as he. 
Indeed his personal devotedness to God was 
the aliment of all his holy fervor. Be wise for 
thyself. 

But true charity looks not only on its own 
things, but also on the things of others. It 
takes the beam out of its own eye, but it is 
then ready to take the mote out of its neigh- 
bor's eye. It first weeps for its own sins; it 
then mourns for the iniquities of others. Thus 
Jeremiah said to his nation, ''If ye will not 
hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places 
over your pride, and mine eye shall weep sore 
and run down with tears." Ezekiel also tells 
us that when God was about to send his mes- 
sengers to destroy the land and to waste its 
people, he sent before them an angel with an 
inkhorn, to " set a mark upon the foreheads of 
the men that sighed and cried for all the abom- 
inations that were done." Often all that the 
righteous can do is to weep in secret, and cry, 
*' Oh that the wickedness of the wicked were 

24* 



562 VITAL GODLINESS. 

come to an end !'^ Matthew Henry says, "The 
sight of sin either makes a man sad or guilty. 
If we see it, and are not sorrowful, we are 
guilty.'' Blessed is the man who weeps for the 
wickedness of men, and as he has opportunity 
testifies against it, and warns men of coming 
judgments. 

Another proper field for pious zeal is the 
sanctuary. There it makes and there it per- 
forms many holy vows. There it swells the 
voice of joy and praise. There it beholds the 
King in his beauty. There it is delighted with 
memories of past mercies, and ravished with 
visions of future glories. The prayers appro- 
priate to the sanctuary are sure to meet with a 
hearty response from all who have heavenly 
zeal. The anthems of praise belonging to the 
courts of the Lord's house animate the humble 
soul, and awaken longings for heavenly glories. 

True zeal also delights in sustaining sober, 
practical, and benevolent institutions, whose 
aim is to enlighten mankind, elevate public 
sentiment, and bring sinners to Christ. Nor 
will a true zeal forget the family. A zeal 
which is warm and active abroad, but cold and 
formal at home, is not of the genuine kind. 
He who lets the fire die out on the domestic 



ZEAL. 663 

altar cannot be a useful member of the cliurcb 
of Christ. Could we once see a generation 
of the friends of Christ duly attentive to the 
duties of piety at home, it would be a better 
sign of the approach of the latter day's glory 
than has yet appeared. Oh that God would 
now turn the hearts of the parents to the chil- 
dren, and the hearts of the children to the 
parents. 

Another i&t work for true zeal is found in 
direct personal efforts for the salvation of im- 
penitent men around us. Grenuine religious 
ardor watches for souls. Above all things, it 
delights to win souls. It seeks, yea, it makes 
occasions to speak a word for Grod. It is in- 
genious in devices to do good. It will try a 
thousand ways and a thousand times. It sows 
its seed in the morning ; in the evening it with- 
holds not its hand. If successful, it greatly 
rejoices, and gives God all the glory. 

In our age and country there is special 
need of unquenchable zeal in religion. Now 
and here every thing is active. Evil grows 
apace; iniquity comes in like a flood. The 
wicked sleep not except they have done some 
mischief. Population and wealth grow as by 
magic. Enterprise is unparalleled. While 



564 VITAL GODLINESS. 

good men sleep the enemy is sowing tares. 
Error is rife and restless. Nothing but mighty 
efforts, owned and blessed of God, can save 
millions of our people from a worldly spirit, 
which will, if it prevail, drown them in de- 
struction and perdition. Lord, increase our 
faith. If a man could say but one sentence to 
his generation in the assured hope that it would 
be heard and heeded, he could hardly say any 
thing better than this : '' It is good to be zeal- 
ously affected always in a good thing." 

The interests of society in its present state 
call for our best efforts. The earth is filled 
with violence and with the habitations of cru- 
elty. To this remark there is no exception 
beyond the pale of the church of God and the 
sphere of her influence. Jewish prejudice, 
Mohammedan delusion. Popish superstition, 
Pagan idolatry, and baptized infidelity are 
crushing alike the best feelings and the bright- 
est hopes of men. General happiness in na- 
tions ruled by maxims of wickedness and by 
men of impiety never has been and never can 
be secured. The little knowledge and liberty 
and virtue now on earth are the fruit of the 
tears and toils and blood of men of whom the 
world was not worthy. 



ZEAL. 565 

From the temporal miseries of men who are 
without Grod in the world, we readily pass in 
thought to a death without comfort, a judgment 
without mercy, an immortality without the life 
everlasting, an eternity without light, without 
hope, and without change but from bad to 
worse. There is indeed something dreadful 
even here in 

" That cloud of mind 
"Wliicli cannot, dares not see the light;" 

in those dark and gloomy apprehensions and 
contemplations which fill the minds of the 
guilty and superstitious. But it is still more 
true that bones of iron and sinews of brass will 
not be able to endure the weight of that sore 
displeasure which will fall on the wicked in a 
future world. There is something glorious in 
the peace and joy of a pardoned sinner on 
earth ; but something ineffably grand and rav- 
ishing in the thought of a soul saved, disen- 
thralled, perfected in heaven. Eye hath not 
seen, ear hath not heard, the heart of man hath 
not conceived the good things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him, nor the evil 
things which he hath treasured up for them 
that hate him. Infinite joys and infinite woes, 
fathomless mercy and fathomless misery, heav- 



566 VITAL GODLINESS. 

enlj bliss and eternal wrath depend on the 
course men's souls pursue in time. That course 
is often determined by means of things which 
at the time seem trivial. " Behold how great 
a matter a little fire kindleth.'' Surely every 
act of human life may draw after it consequen- 
ces so vast as to defy all powers of computa- 
tion, and even of conception. A word may 
subvert an empire. A word may save a soul. 
"A word fitly spoken, how good is it.'^ It is 
like apples of gold in a network of silver. 

Nor is any thing in religion more condu- 
cive to our happiness than liveliness in the 
cause of God. Holy ardor is as oil to ma- 
chinery ; it makes every thing work smoothly. 
Grod meets him that rejoiceth and worketh 
righteousness. His most arduous duties refresh 
his spirit. He comes to them and from them 
not as a hireling, but as a child' who delights 
in the law of Grod after the inner man. 

Nor should we ever forget that Grod abhors 
all services in religion where the heart is want- 
ing. A religion without zeal is offensive to 
God. Duly considered, it is monstrous to all 
right-minded men. The insincere will God 
smite, and there shall be no healing. 

A wise man said, '' It is better to do a little 



ZEAL. 567 

good than a great deal of mischief.^^ Very 
few will attempt a logical refutation of this 
aphorism. It is better to inspire one man 
with the love of truth than to bring a whole 
generation under the power of error and delu- 
sion. It is better to convert one sinner from 
the error of his ways than to make all Israel 
to sin. It is better to fill one heart with joy at 
an act of love than to fill every valley with 
wailing by deeds of malignity. 

Besides, it is the plan of God that great 
results should follow apparently small begin- 
nings. That mighty oak whose trunk has be- 
come the keel of the enormous ship was once a 
small plant, which the tread of a lamb or kid 
or fawn might have crushed. To plant an 
acorn is better than wantonly to slay a forest. 
The necessity of doing even a little good, when 
we can do no more, arises from the fact that so 
many and so mighty evil influences are abroad, 
and from the further fact that life is made up 
of deeds the effect of any one of which may be 
apparently trivial. The enemy is always at 
work; therefore should we be ever diligent. 
If the friends of truth are inactive, the world 
will soon be ruined. Destruction wastes at 
noon-day. Publicity is not to be sought, but 



568 VITAL GODLINESS. 

neither is it to be shunned, by the friends of 
God, if he calls them before kings and courts 
and crowds. And as wickedness distils its 
influences secretly, so let wholesome truths be 
taught privately. 

The enemy has some advantages. One is, 
that it is easier to pull down than to build up, 
to destroy than to create, to corrupt than to 
purify, to kill than to make alive. The foes of 
God are also lively. Their industry is worthy 
of a better cause. It is high time that all right- 
minded men should awake. For though they 
are few and feeble, God is on their side. Noth- 
ing is too hard for him. None can resist him. 
None can deceive him. He can bind the strong 
man, and then spoil his goods. "If God be 
for us, who can be against us ?" If he make 
bare his arm, all nations shall tremble before 
him. 

Let none of the friends of God forget that 
a little done every day will in the end amount 
to much. 

Sands form tlie mountains ; 
Minutes make the year. 

This is the secret of a life of usefulness. He 
who is faithful in the least, is the man whose 
virtue will not fail him on great occasions. 



ZEAL. 569 

Christians should endeavor to do good in 
the least exceptionable way. "Let not your 
good be evil spoken of." "A good action 
indiscreetly performed is little better than a 
prudent piece of mischief.'' The carnal min(J 
sufficiently opposes holiness without our need- 
lessly irritating it. Cunning is indeed odious 
and wicked ; but prudence is a duty. Trick is 
despicable. Address is obligatory. Paul's 
life affords many admirable examples of con- 
summate wisdom in allaying prejudices, in 
quelling storms of human passion. '' Whatso- 
ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy 
might." " No man liveth to himself." 

What a blessing to thousands it would be 
if all who can would lend or give good books 
to those who will read them. Milton well 
says that "books are not absolutely dead 
things; but do contain a progeny of life in 
them to be as active as that soul was whose 
progeny they are ; nay, they do preserve as a 
vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that 
living intellect that bred them. ... As good 
almost kill a man as kill a good book: who 
kills a man, kills a reasonable creature; but 
he who destroys a good book, kills reason it- 
self. ... A good book is the precious life- 



570 VITAL GODLINESS. 

blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treas- 
ured up on purpose to a life beyond life." I 
had rather be the author of Poor Joseph, a 
little tract, than of Homer's Iliad ; or of the 
Swearer's Prayer, another little tract, than of 
Yattel's Law of Nations. To spread the know- 
ledge of Grod by good books has long been a 
favorite method of doing good. 

Another excellent method of usefulness is 
giving good advice. Almost all the practical 
good in this world is the result of good coun- 
sel, no small part of which is offered without 
solicitation, but on a proper occasion and in a 
right spirit. In giving advice, beware of dog- 
matizing and of all superciliousness. 

In all plans of usefulness, pay due atten- 
tion to the young. They are alike the hope of 
the church and of the state. Their habits are 
not yet inveterate ; their sensibilities are not 
yet blunted. By kindness you may win their 
confidence. By perseverance you may make 
an impression on their minds and hearts. 

Abound in prayer. Many a time it has 
opened heaven. Many a time it has opened 
prisons, opened doors of usefulness, opened the 
hand of parsimony and the heart of severity. 
It has both opened and shut the mouth of the 



ZEAL. 571 

grave. By it the cause of righteousness has 
success and stability. By it the feeble gain 
the victory and the slow win the race. "What 
we win by prayer we wear with comfort." Do 
all you can to stir up a spirit of zeal in your 
own heart. Get the strongest conceptions you 
can of the value of eternal things, especially 
by visiting dying beds and deserted souls, and 
then flee to your closet and cry mightily to 
God for his blessing on the perishing. ''He 
who has God's heart shall not want his arm.'' 
God has closely united our duty and our 
happiness in a thousand ways. In the fall of 
18 — , a young man was spending a vacation 
with a friend. He found in his mansion ele- 
gance, hospitality, and piety. The grounds 
were large, and the family was more than com- 
monly agreeable. He could ride or read, or 
engage in fishing or hunting. For a few days 
he greatly enjoyed the change. His health 
needed recruiting, and he felt better. But 
soon uneasiness followed. He lacked full em- 
ployment. He was not sure that he could give 
a good account of his mode of spending time. 
He began to feel guilty. Killing birds and catch- 
ing fish, not so much for food as for pastime, 
seemed to him of doubtful propriety. To ride 



572 VITAL GODLINESS. 

witliout an object was uninteresting. In short, 
he was in danger of becoming melancholy. 

At this time he heard of a lot of Bibles in 
the neighborhood for distribution among the 
poor. He determined to walk and scatter this 
good seed. He went from house to house, 
meeting with various kinds of reception, all of 
them civil and some of them cheering. 

At length he came to a plain house, and 
was welcomed by a plain woman at the door. 
He entered, and saw seated around the fire 
five of her children, not one of whom could 
walk or utter an articulate sound. As he 
entered they raised a hideous noise. Their 
mother said it expressed pleasure at seeing 
him. Seldom has one beheld a more painful 
sight. Besides these five was a son of sound 
mind, but deformed and crippled in his lower 
limbs. He was a shoemaker. There was also 
a daughter well-grown and strong, but of a 
feeble mind and violent temper. 

The mother of these children was a poor 
widow. The visitor introduced the subject of 
religion, which he found a theme welcome to 
her. The Bible was there. It looked as if it 
was well read. When this woman spoke, it 
was chiefly of the goodness of God. He in- 



ZEAL. 573 

quired of her difficulties. She admitted that 
she had trials, but told him how well the Lord 
supplied her wants. He found it good to be 
there. He prayed with them all, spoke a few 
words of encouragement especially to the wid- 
ow, and bade them farewell. He has never 
seen a mother more contented and thankful. 

He left the house rebuked for his melan- 
choly, which had in it perhaps much ingrati- 
tude. He could not but admire the power of 
divine grace in this poor woman. He did not 
inquire to what church she belonged. She 
gave evidence of belonging to the invisible 
company of faithful ones who love our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Soon after he left the house he 
sought a place for prayer and praise. His sad- 
ness left him. That poor woman^s behavior 
and conversation were better to him than many 
sermons. He then found out that a secret of 
happiness was to engage in hearty self-deny- 
ing labors for the good of men, and especially 
of the poor and afflicted. 

The highest motive which can be presented 
to a pious mind in favor of a life of zeal and 
devotedness is, that thus we do what we can 
to glorify our God and Saviour. To be allow- 
ed to honor the Father of our mercies, the God 



574 VITAL GODLINESS. 

of all grace, and the Saviour of sinners, is one 
of the highest privileges ever bestowed on mor- 
tals. So the righteous have always esteemed 
it. The wants, the woes, the weal of mankind 
may properly be thought of as motives to a 
life of labor and usefulness. But they are as 
nothing compared with the glory of Him who 
hath made all things for himself, who is before 
all, above all, over all, through all, and in us 
all. That his name may be hallowed, his king- 
dom come, and his will be done, are three of 
the seven petitions in the Lord's prayer ; and 
they are the first three. Before all things we 
should endeavor to honor Grod. 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 575 

CHAPTER XXY. 

CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 

In closing this work, attention is asked to 
a few general observations. These may aid in 
rightly understanding and applying the weighty 
truths already considered. 

I. The symmetry of Christian character. 

Whoever has one Christian grace is sure 
to have others. In the genuine child of God, 
all the elements of piety are united. He who 
has strong hope, and no fear of God, will soon 
become presumptuous. He who has strong 
fears, but no hope in God, will be desperate. 
Without reverence, love degenerates into fond- 
ness ; and without love, dread degenerates into 
aversion. Faith that is not humble can never 
lay hold of the most precious truths of the gos- 
pel ; and humility that does not rely on God 
is but abjectness. Joy that is not chastened 
with mourning for sin becomes giddy and tri- 
fling ; while sorrow for sin that joys not in God 
works death. Peace which, when called to 
contend for the faith, refuses to stand up for 
the truth, would betray the cause of Christ; 



576 VITAL GODLINESS. 

while he who loves contention and hates peace, 
is carnal and odious. Meekness without cour- 
age is but childishness ; and courage without 
meekness is forwardness and brutality. 

There is a consanguinity between all the 
qualities that form the Christian character. 
The elements of one good trait contain the 
germ of others. Paul speaks of Christian char- 
acter as a unit : ^ 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, 
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, 
faith, meekness, temperance." John says the 
same: ''He that loveth him that begat, loveth 
him also that is begotten of him." No man 
can love the Father without loving the ,Son, 
who was sent by him. He who loves the 
image of God in the Son, loves the image of 
Grod whenever discerned in the humblest Chris- 
tian. It cannot be otherwise. Any thing con- 
trary to this makes hypocrisy and formalism as 
precious as true piety. 

The great defect in all who make a spuri- 
ous profession of religion is, not that they have 
not some things about them that look well, but 
all is out of proportion. They have zeal, but 
not gentleness; they have boldness, but not 
meekness. They pretend to more than they 
feel. With all their ardor they display vain- 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 577 

glory and self-sufficiency. Sometimes they 
excuse iniquity and smile at sin. Their char- 
ity does not ''bear all things." They incline 
to censoriousness. To some they are rude ; to 
others they will not speak a civil word; to 
others they have real hatred. 

In the beatitudes Jesus Christ described 
but one character. Where poverty of spirit, 
mourning for sin, meekness, hungering and 
thirsting for righteousness, mercifulness, purity 
of heart, and love of peace are genuine, they 
are found together. Circumstances will call 
one grace into more vigorous exercise than 
another. But if we have truly passed from 
death unto life, God will enable us in due 
time to exhibit every Christian temper. Hu- 
man features out of all proportion are hideous. 
The same is true of any character called re- 
ligious. 

II. A HOLY LIFE ALONE PROVES PIETY GEN- 
UINE. 

Words are cheap. Edwards. 
Actions speak louder than words. Proverb. 
Practice is the life of piety, t. watson. 
Even a child is known by his doings. Solomon. 
Every one that doeth righteousness is born 

of him. John. 

vital ()o<1Udo»8. 25 



578 VITAL GODLINESS. 

As the body without the spirit is dead, so 
faith without works is dead also. James. 
If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Jesus Christ. 

1. That no man is better than his life 
proves him to be, seems to be the judgment of 
all mankind. Even a little child cannot be 
won by mere words, though it may understand 
them. The best part of mankind are slow in 
making professions, because they know how 
hard it is to perform what we promise. The 
last to engage is often the first to fulfil. The 
very existence of such words as truth, candor, 
honesty, integrity, faithfulness, and their oppo- 
sites, falsehood, deception, fraud, and faithless- 
ness, shows that the judgment of mankind on 
these points is harmonious. All men know 
that words are breath, and deeds only are 
realities. Profession is not principle. Prac- 
tice is the best expounder of the heart. 

2. God seldom reproves men for being 
slow to engage, while he constantly guards 
them against the sin of not performing their 
promises. Joshua warned the Israelites on 
this subject. Josh. 24:16, 19. Indeed in so 
many words Solomon says, "Be not rash with 
thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 579 

utter any thing before God." Eccles. 6 : 2. 
See context. Compare Matt. 7 : 21-27, and 
1 John 3:18, 19. 

3. As holiness is not natural to man, the 
Scriptures say explicitly that whosoever doeth 
righteousness is born of God. 1 John 2 : 29. 
He has a new nature, obtained in regeneration. 
He has the life of God in his soul. Only that 
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. When 
we see a man working righteousness, warring 
against sin, and heartily doing the will of God, 
we know that an almighty power has changed 
his nature. He is a new creature. 

4. Whatever does not lead to a holy life 
is worthless in the sight of God. Man looks 
at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks 
at the heart. David walked before God in 
truth and righteousness, and in uprightness of 
heart. All religious profession which ends in 
show is at the best Pharisaism dressed up in 
evangelical attire. If the heart is not swayed 
by it, the heart is unchanged. "He that do- 
eth righteousness is righteous; he that cora- 
mitteth sin is of the devil." All pretences to 
piety which end not in a godly life are utterly 
vain. Men obey not, because they love not. 
They hearken not, because their ears are un- 



550 VITAL GODLINESS. 

circumcised. There is no folly greater than 
double-dealing with God. ''A hypocrite is 
hated of the world for seeming a Christian, 
and hated of God for not being one." All 
outward religious acts may be performed with- 
out a spark of love to Christ. ''Two attend- 
ances upon public worship is a form complied 
with by thousands who never kept a Sabbath 
in their lives." How few heartily engage in 
the work of mortifying sin. When men are 
this moment devout, and the next carnal; 
when to-day they are all zeal for God, and to- 
morrow all zeal for politics ; when they have 
not respect unto all God's commandments, but 
seek laxity ; when their religious raptures are 
followed by fleshly frolics, then their religion 
is vain. 

Men should therefore be very careful lest 
they deceive themselves respecting both the 
reality and the strength of their own piety. 
The daily business of a Christian is to resist 
the devil, deny himself, ^ overcome the world, 
crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts, 
imitate Christ, walk with God, and strive to 
enter in at the strait gate. It is the heartless 
who, like the ''children of Israel, being armed 
and carrying bows, turned back in the day of 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 581 

battle." "The Christian gains no victories 
without combat." 

On the other hand, he whose life is holy 
has the fabric of his peace built upon a rock. 
God cannot deny him, for that would be deny- 
ing his own work and signet. Although we 
do not enter heaven for our good works, yet 
we do not enter heaven without our good 
works. 

III. True Christians are greatly blessed. 

As the greatest curses are spiritual, so the 
greatest blessings are also spiritual. Our great 
wants must be supplied out of God's treasury, 
or we must suffer eternal loss and undoing. 
Paul uses no better designation of the privi- 
leges of believers than when he speaks of spir- 
itual blessings. God's mercies to his children 
are sometimes catalogued. In the 103d Psalm 
David 'pxits forgiveness of sins as the first. It 
is entitled to that place. Without pardon we 
are under an awful curse. God never bestows 
saving good on souls left in the chains of con- 
demnation. In more than one place Paul seems 
to favor the same arrangement. 

With forgiveness is always connected ac- 
ceptance in the Beloved. Eph. 1:6. So that 
believei^ are no more aliens, strangers, for- 



682 VITAL GODLINESS. 

eigners, but sons, heirs, fellow- citizens. We 
are brought nigh by the blood and righteous- 
ness of Christ, and so "have right to the tree 
of life." Rev. 22:14. 

From our justification flows peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom 
also we have access into all needed grace, joy, 
hope, triumph in tribulation, patience, experi- 
ence, boldness, the love of God, the indwelling 
of the Holy Ghost, and salvation full and com- 
plete. Peter gives a catalogue in which he 
mentions "faith, virtue,'^ or courage, "know- 
ledge, temperance, patience, godliness, broth- 
erly kindness, charity." Well does he add, 
"If these things be in you and abound, they 
m^ke you that ye shall neither be barren nor 
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." Blessed treasury of spiritual good 
things ! Who can tell its value ? It is the 
proof of a godlike temper and a godlike des- 
tiny. 

Sure of spiritual blessings, men may be 
poor, yet they make many rich. They may 
have nothing, yet they possess all things. They 
may be sorrowful, yet they are always rejoic- 
ing. They may be dying daily, yet behold, 
they live. They may be chastened, but they 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 583 

are not killed. Their affections are set on 
things which do not perish in the using. Their 
crown is not the less bright or imperishable 
because it is seen by faith alone. They are 
sure of wearing it in due season, if they faint 
not. ^' 

Any spiritual blessing is worth more than the 
most costly temporal good. A devout thought, 
a pious desire, a holy purpose, is better than a 
great estate or an earthly kingdom. In eternity 
it will amount to more to have given a cup of 
cold water with right motives to a humble ser- 
vant of God, than to have been flattered by a 
whole generation. God gives the common boun- 
ties of providence to saints and sinners. Often 
most largely to the latter. Spiritual blessings 
are put into elect vessels only. God's people 
share the good things of this world with the 
wicked ; but the world has no lot nor part in 
spiritual good things. The sinner has never 
been pardoned, renewed, sanctified, or sav- 
ingly taught of God. 

The good things of time will soon be gone 
for ever. The very memory of them will im- 
bitter the future existence of all who die in 
their sins. But spiritual blessings will last 
eternally. Though faith will give way to vis- 



684 VITAL GODLINESS. 

ion, and hope to fruition, yet fruition and vis- 
ion are the legitimate consequences of hope 
and faith. 

Temporal blessings come in the channel of 
nature ; but spiritual blessings in the channel 
of grace. The former are of the^arth, earthy ; 
the latter are from heaven. God bestows tem- 
poral blessings on those who hate him all their 
days ; but spiritual blessings come to believers 
only, through our Lord Jesus Christ, They 
cost his life, his toil, his sweat, his agony. 

We may form some estimate of the value 
of spiritual blessings by the promises of the 
covenant which secures them. Long after his 
ascension to heaven, Jesus Christ promised to 
him that overcometh that he should eat of the 
tree of life, which is in the midst of the para- 
dise of Grod ; that he should be clothed in white 
raiment j that he should be a pillar in the tem- 
ple of Grod, and go no more out ; that he should 
sit with him in his throne ; that he should eat 
of the hidden manna ; that He should give him 
a white stone. How soon our faculties are 
overcome by attempting to comprehend the 
fulness of such promises. Let us dwell a mo- 
ment on the last, "I will give him a white 
stone." Blunt thus explains it: ''It is gen- 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS . 585 

erally thought by commentators that this refers 
to an ancient judicial custom of dropping a 
black stone into an urn when it is intended to 
condemn, and a white stone when the prisoner 
is to be acquitted ; but this is an act so distinct 
from that described, ' I will give thee a white 
stone,' that w^e are disposed to agree with those 
who think it refers rather to a custom of a very 
different kind, and not unknown to the clas- 
sical reader, according with beautiful propri- 
ety to the case before us. In primitive times, 
when travelling was rendered difiBcult from 
want of places of public entertainment, hospi- 
tality was exercised by private individuals to 
a very great extent ; of which indeed we find 
frequent traces in all history, and in none more 
than the Old Testament. Persons who par- 
took of this hospitality and those who prac- 
tised it, frequently contracted habits of friend- 
ship and regard for each other ; and it became 
a well-established custom among the Greeks 
and Romans to provide their guests with some 
particular mark, which was handed down from 
father to son, and insured hospitality and kind 
treatment whenever it was presented. This 
mark was usually a small stone or pebble cut 
in half, and upon the halves of which the host 
25* 



686 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and the guest mutually inscribed their names, 
and then interchanged them with each other. 
The production of this tessera was quite enough 
to insure friendship for themselves or descend- 
ants whenever they travelled again in the same 
direction ; while it is evident that these stones 
required to be privately kept, and the names 
written upon them carefully concealed, lest 
others should obtain the privileges instead of 
the persons for whom they were intended. 
How natural then the allusion to this custom 
in the words, 'I will give him to eat of the 
hidden manna !' and having done so — having 
make himself partaker of my hospitality, hav- 
ing recognized him as my guest, my friend, I 
will present him with the white stone, and in 
the stone a new name written, which no man 
knoweth saving he who receiveth it. I will 
give him a pledge of my friendship sacred and 
inviolable, known only to himself.''^ 

lY. Sinners are poor indeed. 

It is a dreadful thing to want bread. Yet 
man shall not live by bread alone, but by ev- 
ery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 
God. It is sad to see a human being without 
reason. Yet some good people have become 
insane, and never waked up in their right mind 



CONCLUDING OBSEBVATIONS. 587 

till they were in the presence of the Lamb. 
But in his unregenerate state, man's case is far 
more pitiable. Of all such, Paul says they are 
without Christ. They have no Saviour, no 
infallible Teacher, no atoning High-priest, no 
Advocate with Grod, no King ruling in right- 
eousness over them and their enemies. With- 
out Christ, sinners are nothing. He is all and 
in all. Well did an ancient say, "I had rather 
fall with Christ than reign with Cassar." Non- 
existence is not so dreadful as a Christless 
state. " Captives, we cannot be delivered 
without the redemption which is in Christ Je- 
sus. Fools as we all are, we cannot be instruct- 
ed without wisdom, and all the treasures of 
wisdom are hid in Christ Jesus. All plans 
and hopes not built on him must fall, for there 
is none other foundation. All working with- 
out him is in the fire, where it will be con- 
sumed. Without him, all riches make them- 
selves wings and fly away. A dungeon with 
Christ is a throne ; and a throne without Christ, 
hell." He is life and light, and the delights of 
the sons of men. Yet sinners are without him. 
They are also aliens from the cor)imonivealth 
of Israel. They have no lot in Jacob. Christ's 
cause may advance, but it brings no joy to 



688 VITAL GODLINESS. 

them. His kingdom may be set up in a whole 
nation, but they care not for that. His honor 
may be great, but they have no share in it. 
His praise may be sung in high anthems and 
hallelujahs, but to them it is as the voice of 
strange minstrels. Prayer may be offered for 
him, but they never heartily join in it. They 
are not at home in secret devotion, in public 
worship, or in the celebration of the ordinan- 
ces. They would be even less at home in the 
adorations of heaven. They have no inherit- 
ance in the church. They are outcasts, cast- 
aways, reprobate silver. They are not sons. 
They are not heirs. Their prospects for eter- 
nity are no better than if God had no church 
at all. 

And so they are strangers from the cove- 
nants of promise. They have nothing to rely 
upon for time, nothing for eternity; nothing 
for this life, nothing for that which is to come. 
Their heavens are never spanned by the bow 
of a rich variety of promises, divinely girt to- 
gether by the faithful word and unimpeachable 
oath of Him who cannot lie. One of the most 
gifted among them, even while living in a gos- 
pel land, said, ''The present is a fleeting mo- 
ment, the past is no more, and our prospect of 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 689 

futurity is dark and doubtful.'^ Such men are 
lost. They have no heavenly guide, no safe 
rules of conduct, no sure word abiding for ever. 

Of course they are without hope. They 
may have dreams of future good, but these 
will all vanish like the mist. Their delusive 
expectations are constantly failing. They in- 
dulge them only to awake to a keen sense of 
agonizing misery. They are like the vine of 
Sodom and the fruit of Gromorrah. To hope, 
as an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast ; to 
hope, as entering within the veil ; to hope, that 
does not mock our miseries ; to hope, that shall 
not perish, they are utter strangers. One half 
hour's exercise of such hope as animates the 
believer would bring more that deserves the 
name of happiness than all the poor sinner has 
ever enjoyed. Now without hope, at any mo- 
ment he may be in total and absolute despair. 

Such are also without God in the world, A 
godless man is an undone man, and has a rue- 
ful eternity before him, whether he is a god- 
less tyrant, a godless slave, or a godless free- 
man ; whether he glitters in gold or crawls in 
debasement. He has no communion with his 
Maker, no confidence in Jehovah, no blessing 
from the Lord, and no righteousness from the 



590 VITAL GODLINESS. 

God of salvation. When nature is falling 
headlong, or is smitten with wrath, the be- 
liever exults, and shouts, ''My Lord and my 
Grod.'^ The poor sinner cannot do this. He 
has no God; he knows no God; he loves no 
God ; he trusts in no God ; he has no hope in 
God. 

How poor and wretched and miserable and 
lost is an unconverted sinner! 

How rich and free and undeserved is the 
mercy that saves sinners ! 

How loud is the call and how great is the 
obligation to do all we can to save dying sin- 
ners ! 

How inconceivably dreadful it will be to 
go to eternity an unrenewed sinner ! 

How infinite is the debt we owe to Him 
who has given us access to God by his own 
most precious blood! 

Were there ever such wants among mor- 
tals as the wants of a perishing soul? Oh, sin- 
ner, turn and live. 

V. Is THERE NOT A LOW STATE OF PIETY? 

Many answer the question in the affirma- 
tive. Some may do so through uncharitable- 
ness. But it cannot fairly be called a distorted 
view of things to say that piety is in a low 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 591 

state generally, and that in many places truth 
is fallen in the streets. Among the causes of 
this state of things, we may notice, 

1. The commotions among the nations, 
"Wars and rumors of wars" mightily distract 
public attention from all the concerns of eter- 
nity. Piety must have time for contempla- 
tion. We cannot profitably wait upon God 
unless we can do so without distraction. Tur- 
moil may be around us and yet but slightly 
affect us. When such is the case, grace reigns 
mightily. 

2. Politics. Andrew Fuller says that many 
"have fallen sacrifices to talcing an eager and 
deep interest in political disputes.''^ He speaks 
of some whose "whole heart has been engaged 
in this pursuit. It has been their meat and 
their drink ; and this being the case, it is not 
surprising that they have become indifferent 
to religion ; for these things cannot consist 
with each other." This is sound speech that 
cannot be condemned. 

3. Love of money. This root has struck 
very deep into many hearts. Nor are its ill 
consequences even yet fully seen. The worst 
is probably yet to come. Without checking 
any sober, lawful endeavor to secure compe- 



692 VITAL GODLINESS. 

tence and independence, it must yet be said 
that a people eagerly pursuing wealth cannot 
be a very religious people. " If any man love 
the world, the love of the Father is not in 
him.^' "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." 

4. Fanaticism. Nothing is more opposed 
to true piety than a wild, heated, ignorant, 
and furious zeal. It has brought vast dis- 
credit on true religion, and has driven many 
into infidelity and practical atheism. It is 
like a flame driven by fierce winds through a 
forest. It consumes whatever it meets. Its 
unhappy effects are seen and felt for half a 
century. It brings pure revivals of religion 
into disrepute. It awakens distrust of experi- 
mental piety. It clothes with suspicion every 
extraordinary endeavor to promote the know- 
ledge and love of God. It creates a necessity 
for most painful acts of church discipline, and 
its whole tendency is to disorder and irrelig- 
ion. To be zealously affected always in a good 
thing is a great attainment; but a fanatical, 
fiery, bitter zeal is always followed by ill con- 
sequences. 

5. The attention of pastors and churches has 
leen unduly withdrawn from their chief work. 
Pastors are often overworked. Consequently 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 593 

they come not to their work with joyous elas- 
ticity of mind. And churches sometimes med- 
dle with things quite out of their line ; so that 
a minister who labors in word and doctrine, 
who gives himself entirely to prayer and the 
ministry of the word, is regarded as not up to 
the times. 

6. A low standard of evidence of Christian 
character. It is our duty to ''feed the lambs" 
and to '' comfort the feeble-minded." But the 
lambs should grow to be sheep. A word to 
the weary is excellent, if it be in season ; but 
the church should never be so addressed as to 
make her rest satisfied with low attainments. 
If the babes are fed on milk all their days and 
never get a taste of strong meat, they will 
never be strong men, full of vigor. Scriptural 
marks of a change of heart should be clearly 
stated. 

7. The neglect of social prayer and confer- 
ence. Have not Christians too much forsaken 
the assembling of themselves together, that they 
might speak often one to another ? 

8. But our greatest lack is in the article of 
fervent, importunate, united prayer. Oh for a 

spirit of strong crying unto God ! Would the 
heavens in so many places be as brass if they 



594 VITAL GODLINESS. 

were pierced by the hearty cries of God's peo- 
ple ? There is no substitute for fervent prayer. 
Let that cease and religion must decline. 

VI. Time and Eternity. 

Formerly it was customary at public exe- 
cutions to bring an hour-glass to the scaffold 
with the sand all at one end, and when the 
prisoner had taken his position, to set the glass 
before him inverted, and the sands of the last 
hour of his life began to run. Sometimes the 
executioner and sometimes the minister of re- 
ligion would say to the unhappy man, "Your 
sands are almost run." From this the phrase 
was transferred to the pulpit, and men were 
exhorted to speedy repentance because their 
sands were almost run. Oh that men would 
candidly look at the nearness of death and lay 
hold on eternal life while it is called to-day. 

An old writer says, '' I stopped in Olerken- 
well churchyard to see a grave-digger at work. 
He had dug pretty deep, and was come to an 
old coffin which was quite rotten. In clearing 
away the mouldering wood, the grave-digger 
found an hour-glass close to the left side of the 
skull, with the sand in it." This was telling 
the dead that to them time was no longer. 
How much more fit to put the hour-glass be- 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 595 

fore the liviDg, and remind them that their 
hours will soon all be gone. Why will not 
men be warned ? Why will not the living lay 
to heart the things which belong to their peace ? 
Between the longest human life and eternity 
there is no proportion whatever. 

" / have lost a day^'' is a dreadful sound in 
the ears of one who has a tender conscience. 
Nothing but a slighted Saviour seems to press 
so heavily on dying sinners as murdered time. 

"Remorseless Time, 
Fierce spirit of the glass and scythe, what power 
Can stay him in his silent course, or melt 
His iron heart to pity ? On, still on 
He presses, and for ever. The proud bird. 
The condor of the Andes, that can soar 
Through heaven's unfathomable depths, or brave 
The fury of the northern hurricane. 
And bathe his plumage in the thunder's home, 
Fui'ls his broad wings at nightfall, and sinks down 
To rest upon his mountain crag ; but Time 
Knows not the weight of sleep or weariness. 
And night's deep darkness has no chain to bind 
His rushing pinion. Revolutions sweep 
O'er earth like troubled visions o'er the breast 
Of dreaming sorrow ; cities rise and sink 
Like bubbles on the water ; fiery isles 
Spring blazing from the ocean, and go back 
To their mysterious caverns ; mountains rear 
To heaven their bald and blackened cliffs, and bow 
Their tall heads to the plain ; new empires rise. 
Gathering the strength of hoary centui'ies. 
And rush down like the Alpine avalanche, 
Startling the nations ; and the very stars, 



69e VITAL GODLINESS. 

Yon bright and burning blazonry of God, 
Glitter a while in their eternal depths, 
And Hke the Pleiad, loveHest of their train, 
Shoot from their glorious spheres, and pass away 
To darkle in their trackless void : yet Time, 
Time, the tomb-builder, holds his fierce career, 
Dark, stern, all pitiless, and pauses not 
Amid the mighty wrecks that strew his path, 
To sit and muse, like other conquerors. 
Upon the fearful ruin he has wrought." 

God of mercy, give us grace to improve each 
hour, so to number our days as to apply our 
hearts unto wisdom, and to be always doing 
some good. Let madness no longer reign 
within us. The night cometh when no man 

CAN WOEK. 

VII. Heaven. 

All the souls that Grod has made are in 
heaven, earth, or hell. We who are in earth 
know something about it. Oh that we may 
never know by experience the nature of the 
woes of the pit! If we would be saved, we 
must Ifcarn as we can something of heaven, 
must breathe something of its spirit, must long 
for its blessings. 

Heaven is a place. Jesus so calls it. It 
is a city. It is a heavenly country. It is a 
better country than any known on earth. It 
has locality. Of its position in relation to the 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 597 

sun, moon, and planets, we have no informa- 
tion ; and we need none ; but heaven exists in 
reality, not merely in imagination. 

Heaven is also a state, exceedingly pure, 
holy, excellent. Angels themselves have never 
attained to a better state. The spirits of just 
men made perfect can rise no higher. 

The inhabitants of heaven have large meas- 
ures of clear and certain knowledge of the most 
excellent things. They see God. They see 
Jesus. They know as they are known. They 
do not see through a glass darkly, but face to 
face. They are not liable to errors, mistakes, 
or misapprehensions. The Lamb himself feeds 
them, and leads them to fountains of living 
waters. 

The inhabitants of heaven are happy. 
They are full of joy. They never sin, and 
they never sigh ; they never pity one another, 
nor envy one another, nor grieve at one an- 
other, nor are mortified by each other's follies 
or weaknesses. Their warfare is ended, their 
turmoils are over, and their conflicts past. 
They weep no more. Jesus wipes tears from 
off all faces of his redeemed, and the holy an- 
gels never did weep. 

Heaven is full of variety. It is not all one 



598 VITAL GODLINESS. 

house; there are many mansions and many 
holy characters there. The dwellers therein 
praise much, they exult much, they admire 
much. They have rest; they go no more out; 
they serve God day and night. 

In heaven society is perfect, though con- 
stantly receiving new and desirable accessions. 
All unite in loving the Lamb that was slain. 
Yet there is a great variety in the history and 
character of its inhabitants. There are angels, 
who have great power and wisdom and expe- 
rience. There are patriarchs and prophets 
and apostles and martyrs and confessors and 
reformers and kings and shepherds and feeble- 
minded folk and little children. There the 
choirs of those redeemed by atoning blood are 
arrayed in linen white and clean. Among 
them are infants who knew not that there was 
a heaven till they saw its pearly gates and 
golden streets. They knew not that there was 
a Saviour till they saw him in his glory. 
Choice spirits are constantly joining this 
throng above. Let a few words be said of 
two who have lately passed from earth. 

One was a dear, talented little creature. 
Before her departure she said, 

*'I am not afraid to die. I have commit- 



CONCLUDING OBSEEVATIONS. 599 

ted all to Christ. There is in the Bible no 
phrase so precious to me as, 'The Lord our 
RIGHTEOUSNESS.' M}^ pastor is partial to me. 
Let him not praise me at my burial; let him 
exalt the Lord]s righteousness. When I com- 
mitted myself to Christ, I did it wholly and 
unreservedly. I never doubted him since. I 
may be self-deceived, but of Christ I have no 
doubt. When I appear at the judgment-bar of 
God, if I should hear the word, 'Depart,' I 
should turn with astonishment to Christ, and 
say, 'Dear Saviour, there must be a mistake 
here. Did I not commit all to thee ?' " Again 
she said, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.'' 
Her last words were, "While I have voice 
and memory left, I wish to say, The Lord our 
RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is sufi&cicnt for you all. 
It is all you need." 

She was soon followed by another of like 
spirit. In the year 1839, a family was made 
glad by the birth of a little daughter. Father, 
mother, two elder sisters, and a large circle of 
friends rejoiced together. The babe was a 
bud, promising beauty and fragrance. Early 
in life, by her ingenuousness and warmth of 
afiTection, she attached many to her. In her 
teens, her schoolmates saw her worth, admired 



600 VITAL GODLINESS. 

and imitated. Her education at school being 
finished, she noiselessly began to move in the 
best circles of pious and refined society. Here 
she attracted the love of aged men and women, 
and of those pressed with the cares of middle 
life, no less than of the young. Without a 
dash of forwardness, she was often the com- 
panion of people thrice her age. Ere long 
divine grace began its blessed work, and on 
this lovely stock engrafted the Rose of Sharon. 
Still artless and natural, the work of God's 
Spirit heightened in her all that was previous- 
ly charming, and sweetly chastened the exult- 
ant joyousness of her youth. Elder sisters 
married and left the paternal roof. She re- 
mained greatly to honor father and mother, 
and light up the boyhood of a younger brother. 
On a visit to a friend was laid the foundation 
of the ailment that removed her from earth. 
Her constitution being good, she buffeted dis- 
ease for a while ; but at last she was shut with- 
in doors. Her kind and skilful medical attend- 
ant for a season thought the danger slight; 
but God's will was to take her to himself. 
Alarming symptoms appeared, and about eight 
o'clock in the morning of a blessed Sabbath- 
day her good physician found her sinking, and 



CONCLUDING OBSEKVATIONS. GOl 

in the sweetest manner told her that she was 
entering upon her eternal rest. Surprised, but 
not terrified, she calmly inquired when the 
change had taken place. At once the work of 
life rose before her mind. She thought of the 
Industrial school and of the Sabbath-school. 
She said, "I have so much work to do; but 
God knows best." To her brother, who has 
since fallowed her, she made the kindest little 
address. Then turning to her father, she said, 
"It is sad for you all." On his assenting, and 
saying, "Yes, my child, but I feel I shall soon 
meet you in heaven," she said in a clear, audi- 
ble voice, "I hope so," and gently fell asleep 
as the Sabbath bells began to ring. One of 
her pastors says, "This coincidence reminds us 
of Bunyan's expression respecting what fol- 
lowed the entrance of Christian and Hopeful 
into the heavenly Jerusalem: 'Then I heard 
in my dream that all the bells in the city rang 
again for joy, and that it was said unto them. 
Enter ye into the joy of your Lord.' The 
last earthly sound which echoed in the ear of 
this dying believer was that of the church- 
going bell; the first which met her ransomed 
spirit on high was the peal of welcome from 
the blood- washed throng before the throne." 

Vital Goflliness. 26 



602 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Dear child, till the heavens be no more, we 
shall not again see thy charming face ; but thou 
shalt see the face of Jesus. Our hearts were 
knit together. I love thy memory. I love thy 
sincerity. I love the paths marked by thy foot- 
steps. ''I heard a voice from heaven saying 
unto me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in 
the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, 
that they may rest from their labors ; and their 
works do follow them." The names of these 
young heroes of the cross need not be given. 
They are written in the Lamb's book of life. 

Into the lips of a glorified spirit in heaven 
Matthew Henry puts these words: ''Would 
you know where I am ? I am at home in my 
Father's house, in the mansion prepared for me 
there. I am where I would be, where I have 
long and often desired to be; no longer on a 
stormy sea, but in a safe and quiet harbor. 
My work in time is done, I am resting; my 
sowing time is done, I am reaping ; my joy is 
as the joy of harvest. Would you know how 
it is with me? I am made perfect in holiness; 
grace is swallowed up in glory ; the top-stone 
of the building is brought forth. Would you 
know what I am doing ? I see God ; I see him 
as he is; not as through a glass darkly, but 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 603 

face to face ; and the sight is transforming ; it 
makes me like him. I am in the sweet em- 
ployment of my blessed Redeemer, my Head 
and. my Husband, whom my soul loved, and 
for whose sake I was willing to part with all. 
I am here bathing myself at the spring-he-ad of 
the heavenly pleasure, and joy unutterable ; 
and therefore weep not for me. I am here 
keeping a perpetual Sabbath ; what that is, 
judge by your short Sabbath. I am here 
singing hallelujahs incessantly to him who sits 
upon the throne, and I rest not day or night 
from praising him. Would you know what 
company I have ? Blessed company, better 
than the best on earth. Here are holy angels 
and the spirits of just men made perfect. I 
am set down with Abraham and Isaac and 
Jacob in the kingdom of Grod, with blessed 
Paul and Peter and James and John and all 
the saints ; and here I meet with many of my 
old acquaintances that I fasted and prayed 
with, who got before me hither. And lastly, 
would you consider how long this is to con- 
tinue ? It is a garland that never withers ; a 
crown of glory that fades not away ; after mill- 
ions of millions of ages it will be as fresh as it 
is now ; and therefore weep not for me." 



604 VITAL GODLINESS. 

Grace is glory begun ; but glory is grace 
matured, completed, crowned with the fulness 
of beatific vision. 

Now UNTO THE KlNG ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, 
INVISIBLE, THE ONLY WISE GrOD, BE HONOR AND 
GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. AmEN. 



GENERAL INDEX 



Acts, peaceable, 421. 
Adoption by faith, 191. 
Advice, good, 570. 
Advisers, religious, 120, 142. 
Age, this, superficial, 13. 
Anecdote of j'oung man, 30. 

another young man, 63. 

another young man, 571. 

Newton, 420. 

a mother, 476, 
Anger not always sinful, 493. 
Appetites not to be excessively 

indulged, 59. 
Assurance, not of the essence of 

faith, 203. 
Awakening, 21. 

how effected, 22. 

sometimes unaccountable, 
26. 



B. 



Backsliding, 148. 

dangerous, 148, 150. 

of good and bad men, 149. 

without open sin, 151. 

easy, 151. 

attended by sense of guilt, 

155. 
recovery from, 162, 166. 

blessed, 170. 
sorrow for, 164, 
Bible Society, 472. 
Bigot, a, 402. 
Biography, religious, valuable, 

13. 
Books, good, 569. 
Bravery, 434. 

2*^;<* 



Campbell, Lord, on Bunyan, 508. 
Carefulness in seeking salvation, 

65. 
Character, right views of our 

o^Ti, 65. 
Charity and censoriousness, 157. 
Christian has a life of war, 

199. 
Christians, true, greatly blessed, 

581. 
Closet duties neglected, 152. 
Comfort declining, 160. 
Commandment, new, 393. 
Companions, wicked, 49. 
Company, sometimes injurious, 

44, 58. 
Confession of sin, 165, 225. 
Confidence in God, 139. 
Contentment, 454. 

not carelessness, 454. 
opposed to envy, 456. 
corroding care, 456. 
covetousness, 457. 
pride, 459. 
murmuring, 460. 
distrust, 461. 
fruits of, 461 . 
reasonable, 475, 
reasons for, 479. 
how to obtain, 477. 
Contrast, a, 201. 
Conversion, 

not what we expect, 90. 
how far gradual, 91. 
early stages of, 92. 
the time of, not always 

known, 95. 
proven by a holy life, 96. 



606 



GENEEAL INDEX. 



Conversion, the fact of, not al- 
ways known, 97. 

four signs of, 100. 

begets humility, meekness, 
docihty, confidence, obe- 
dience, 102. 

essential, 104. 
Conversions, how far alike, 88. 
Converts commend Christ, 94. 
Conviction, 82. 

in itself painful, 82. 

of five things, 86. 

rest not in, 88. 
Convictions may leave us, 121. 
Courage, a rare quality, 431. 

often enjoined, 431. 

what it is, 433, 435, 440. 

is humble, 437. 

explained, 438. 

active or passive, 441. 

if genuine, cannot be exces- 
sive, 444. 

need of, 445. 

examples of, 441, 442, 450. 

directions for obtaining, 451. 

D. 

Darkness, spiritual, 127. 

how it comes on, 131. 

in what it consists, 132. 

attended by fears, 133. 

cannot sing songs, 134. 

deliverance from, 138. 

find the cause of, 141. 
Death of a young saint, 598. 

another young saint, 599. 
Desertion, spiritual, 161. 
Despair, tendency to, 117, 136. 
Desponding mind, 323. 

danger of, 84. 
Distraction of mind, 68. 
Distress, great, 69. 

not saving, 121, 123. 

religious, 106. 
Duty, do your, 144. 
Dying in faith, 208. 

E. 

Evils of the heart deplored, 130. 
Example of Jacob Beecher, 495. 
Experience, religious, a test, 7. 



Experience, religious, necessary, 
8, 17. 

testimonies to, 8. 

not often handled, 12. 

difficulties of, 12. 

conversation on, 15. 

uniformity in, 16. 

advantages of, 19. 

abuses of, 19. 

a low, 145. 
Experiences, former, how to be 
used, 145. 



Faith, 173. 

historical, 174. 
of miracles, 174. 
of devils, 174. 
temporary, 175. 
what it relates to, 175. 
defined, 176, 18G. 
explained, 177, 187. 
respects all Scripture, 179. 
especially respects Christ, 

179. 
sometimes weak, 181. 
necessary, 181. 
reasonable, 182. 
needs increase, 183. 
implicit and explicit, 184. 
rational, 185. 
justifying, 186. 
how it justifies, 190. 
proves regeneration, 193. 
purifies the heart, 193. 
works by love, 194. 
overcomes the world, 194. 
is the foster-parent of aU 

graces, 194. 
precious, 197. 
changed to sight, 198. 
labor to increase, 208. 
must be wrought by God, 84. 
Fear of God, 287. 

what it is and is not, 288. 

a grace, 289. 

arises from just views of 

God, 289. 
examples of, 291. 
reasons for, 294. 
much commended by old 

writers, 294. 



GENEEAL INDEX. 



607 



Fear of God, a principle, 295. 

benefits of, 297. 
Feeling, religions, not to be 
needlessly exposed, 144. 
shallow, 7. 
Forbearance, liow far obligatory, 

428= 
Fortitude, 435. 
Foxes, the little, 302. 

G. 

God is just, 83, 86. 

God's word. See Scriptures. 

lively, 52. 

alone, 126. 
Gospel, free, 113. 

good news to believers, 182. 

H. 

Hardness of heart, sense of, 115. 
Heart, the, very wicked, 43. 

hard, 53. 
Heaven, 596. 
Hope and fear alternate, 48. 

what it is, 307. 

its author, 309. 

benefits of, 316. 
Hopes, true and false, 309. 

false, guard against, 122. 
Humility, 249. 

what it is, 250. 

unfeigned, 250. 

regards truth, 251. 

semblance of, 252. 

begets confidence, 253. 

often commended, 254. 

examples of, 258. 

influential, 262. 

hates flattery, 263. 

trusts God, 264, 

in prosperity, 266. 
in adversity, 266. 

respects worldly things, 267. 
, mental qualities, 268. 

spiritual gifts, 274. 

necessary to students, 269. 

opposed to boasting, 276. 

want of, hinders salvation, 
277. 

leads to peace, 278. 
honor, 279. 



Humility leads to communion 
with God, 280. 

how acquired, 281. 
profitable, 282. 
shall be rewarded, 283. 
a test of doctrine, 284. 
in duties, 285. 
Hypocrites prate, 8. 



Ignorance, sense of, 53. 
Illumination of the Spuit, 192. 
Impatience, spirit of, 119. 

respecting the future, 496. 
Impressions, religious, early, 21. 
Infidelity rebuked, 510. 
Inquiry, religious, 34. 

must be sincere, 35. 

J. 

Jesus Christ, all we need, 72. 

what it is to come to, 73. 

precious, 93, 143, 168. 

must accept, 124. 

weeping over Jerusalem, 124. 

clear views of, necessary, 
142. 

concern for his honor, 159. 

lovely, 351. 
Joy, la"v\rful and unlawful, 514. 

religion not unfriendly to, 
515. 

testimonies respecting, 525. 

how promoted, 527. 

objects of, 532. 

may be strong, 537. 

is operative, 538. 

in sorrow, 540. 

heaven full of, 546. 

K. 

Knowledge of divine things, 536. 

L. 

Lawsuits, 429. 

Levity, dangers of, 57. 

Life, the present and future con- 
trasted, 548. 

Life, holy, alone proves piety 
genuine, 577. 

Love, its excellence, 409 
of gratitude, 331. 



608 



GENEBAL INDEX. 



Love of complacency, 333. 

of good-wiU, 336. 
Love to God, 327. 

always necessary, 328, 343. 

the phrase used in two 
senses, 330. 

is generous, 338. 

seeks to please, 339. 

strong, 339. 

makes happy, 340. 

its qualities, 342. 

proves election, 345. 
Love to Christ, 347. 

much dwelt on, 348. 

qualities of, 351. 

may be imperfect, 354. 

lightly esteems sacrifices, 
356. 

grows, 359. 

is modest, 360. 

commends Christ, 360. 

makes us blessed, 362. 

is constraining, 364. 

essential, 365. 
Love to our neighbor, 369. 

often enjoined, 369. 

to enemies, 373. 

fruits of, 375. 

will show itself, 382. 

motives to, 389. 

want of, hinders prayer, 391. 
Love to the brethren, 393. 

often enjoined, 396. 

when spurious, 397. 

should be real, 397. 
lasting, 399, 
fervent, 399. 

remarkable in early times, 
401. 

proofs of, 402. 

a sign of renewal, 403, 406. 

bright instance of, 403. 

motives to, 408. 



M. 

Means of grace must not be neg- 
lected, 59. 
Meditation sweet, 140. 
Mercifulness, 380. 
Mockings, cruel, 446. 
Modesty, not dogmatism, 89. 



N. 



Neighbor, who is our ? 371. 
good wishes for, 377. 
kind thoughts towards our, 

377. 
prayer for, 377. 
forgiveness towards, 378. 
how much must we love our ? 

383. 

0. 

Old age, 500. 

miserable, 501. 

promises to, 502. 
Opinions, crude, 50. 
Ordinances unprofitable, 156. 

P. 

Pardon and purity united, 94. 
Passions, mahgnant, dangerous, 

57. 
Patience, 482. 

what it is, 483. 

various objects of, 485. 

how illustrated in Scripture, 
485. 

examples of, 488. 

fruit of the Spirit, 490. 

essential to Christian char- 
acter, 491. 

trials of, 492. 

how to promote it, 497. 

motives to, 505. 
Peace, 411. 

its opposites, 411. 

different kinds of, 411. 

we are bound to, 416. 
called to, 417. 

hinderances to, 424. 

of greai price, 425. 

Christ, the pattern of, 427. 
Persecution, 447. 
Piety, low state of, 590. 

causes of, 591. ^f 

Pity to the poor, 381. 
Pleasures, worldly, 474. 
Poverty, 504. 

vii-tuous, 471. 
Prayer commended, 570. 
Preaching, its power, 31. 
Pride, all, dangerous, 127. 






GENEBAL INDEX. 



609 



Q. 

Question: Can one believe as lie 

wishes? 98. 
Questions, hard, avoid, 123. 

solemn, 326. 
Quibbles, 57. 

R. 

Bank in Hfe, 473. 

Reasonings, false, answered, ?6. 

Reflection necessary, 27. 

liable to interruption, 28. 

effect of, 29. 
Reformation, external, not sav- 
ing, 60. 
Religion in common affairs of 
life, 154. 

family neglected, 154. 

we should enjoy it, 544. 
Repentance, 210. ^ 

proper for sinners only, 210. 

a gift, 211, 239. 

reasonable, 213. 

defined, 214. 

for sin, 218. 

humbles, 220. 

has shame, 221. 

regards original sia, 223. 

works reformation, 225. 

excited by God's goodness, 
227. 

saving, 229. 

more than regret, 230. 

of Judas, 231. 

of the hypocrite, 237. 

leads to restitution, 237. 

looks to Christ, 239. 

a fit sacrifice, 242. 

an immediate duty, 245. 

death-bed, 248. 
Resolutions good, 35. 

made in human strength, 36. 

Lavater's, 37. 

David's, 38. 

Simeon's, 422. 
Restitution, 237, 238. 
Rights, when we may assert our, 

429. 
Rights and wrongs, 512. 
"Roaring," 166. 



s. 

Saint and sinner contrasted, 146. 
Sanctification, is yours advanc- 
ing? 172. 
Satan holds fast his prey, 84. 

roaring, 135. 

resisted, 138. 
Saying of Rivet, 494. 

of Halyburton, 494. 
Scriptures, precious, 170. 

search the, 142, 511. 

the trae test, 200. 
Sectarian, a bigoted, 51. 
Self-complacency, no good sign, 

150. 
Sentimentalism, 59. 
"Shepherd of the Valley," quot- 
ed, 448. 
Sickness, trying, 493. 
Sin, very e-^, 44, 51. 

horrible, 68. 

beginnings of, 141. 

how against God, 216. 
Sins of the times lamented, 129. 

reviving, 160. 
Sinners should come at once to 
Christ, 42, 45, 61, 63. 

invited to Christ, 80. 

the greatest may be saved, 
113. 

chief of, 220. 

poor indeed, 586. 
Skepticism, 31. 
Slander, how to treat it, 504. 
Sorrow, worldly, 128. 
Soul, the, cannot pui-ify itself, 39. 
Soul-troubles, 85. 
Spirit, Holy, may be resisted, 55. 

need of, 15. 

his strivings, 46, 54. 

we must not grieve, 47, 62. 

very loving, 62. 

works we know not how, 89. 
Spirit, a wounded, 138. 

a glorified, 602. 
State of mind, contradictory, 41, 

69. 
Stone, a white, 584. 
Strife, evils of, 426. 
Symmetry of Chiistian charac- 
ter, 575. 
Sympathy, want of, 137. 



610 



GENERAL INDEX. 



T. 

Teachers, 503. 

Temptations, expect them, 43. 

Thoughts, sceptical, 31. 

peaceable, 419. 
Time and eternity, 594. 

u. 

UnbeHef, 61. 

a great sin, 118, 205. 
Unpardonable sin, 107. 

may be committed now, 108. 

what it is, and is not, 110. 

who has, and who has not 
committed it,. 111. 

y. 

Valor, 434. _ 
Vanity of mind, 158. 
Vileness, sense of, 54, 67. 

w. 

Wealth, warnings against, 463. 
Wicked, the, -iinhappy, and why, 
528. 



Wisdom of piety, 543. 
Words, peaceable, 419. 
Work, do the Lord's, 146. 
World receding, 40. 
Worldliness, dangers of, 56. 
Wretchedness, a sense of, 64. 

z. 

Zeal, what it is, 551. 

sometimes false, 552. 
in mil- worship, 553. 
bUnd, 554. 
contentious, 555. 
selfish, 555. 
boastful, 556. 
temporary, 556. 
self-righteous, 557. 
true, 557. 
not timid, 559. 
not fickle, 55-9. 
fields for its exercise, 560. 
need of, 563. 
motives to, 566. 
should not be ofi"ensive, 
569. 



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